IDictotfa Dfstot^ of the
Counties of lEnglanb
EDITED BY WILLIAM PAGE, F.S.A.
A HISTORY OF
LANCASHIRE
VOLUME IV
THE
VICTORIA HISTORY
OF THE COUNTIES
OF ENGLAND
LANCASHIRE
LONDON
CONSTABLE AND COMPANY LIMITED
This History is issued to Subscribers only
By Constable & Company Limited
end printed by Eyre & Spottiswoode Limited
H.M. Printers of London
INSCRIBED
TO THE MEMORY OF
HER LATE MAJESTY
QUEEN VICTORIA
WHO GRACIOUSLY GAVE
THE TITLE TO AND
ACCEPTED THE
DEDICATION OF
THIS HISTORY
THE
VICTORIA HISTORY
OF THE COUNTY OF
LANCASTER
EDITED BY
WILLIAM FARRER, D.Lrrr., AND J. BROWNBILL, M.A.
VOLUME FOUR
LONDON
CONSTABLE AND COMPANY LIMITED
670
L2VG
CONTENTS OF VOLUME FOUR
Dedication .....
Contents .....
Index of Parishes, Townships, and Manors
List of Illustrations ....
Editorial Note ....
Topography .....
West Derby Hundred (cont.)-
Liverpool .
Wigan . .
Winwick .
Salford Hundred-
Introduction
Manchester
Ashton-under-Lyne
Eccles
PAGE
. . . ... . . . v
ix
.;'.- . . . . . . . xi
, . . . . . . . . . xiii
. . . . . . xv
Architectural descriptions by C. R. PEERS, M.A.,
F.S.A., and F. H. CHEETHAM. Heraldic draw-
ings and blazon by the Rev. E. E. DORLING,
M.A., F.S.A.
Historical description by Professor RAMSAY MUIR,
M.A .1
Historical description by W. FARRER, D.Litt., and
J. BROWNBILL, M.A. . . . . -57
* 122
Historical descriptions by W. FARRER, D.Litt., and
J. BROWNBILL, M.A. . . . . .171
338
352
IX
INDEX OF PARISHES, TOWNSHIPS, AND MANORS
In the following list (m) indicates manor, (p) parish, and (t) township
Abram (Wigan), (t) 1 1 1 , (m) 1 1 1
Agecroft Hall (Eccles), 397, 400
Alport (Manchester), 237
Ancoats (Manchester), 237
Arbury (Winwick), (t) 166, (m) 168
Ardwick (Manchester), (t) 279, (m) 280
Ashton-in-Makerfield (Winwick), (t) 142, (m) 142
Ashton-under-Lyne, (p) 338, (m) 340
Aspull (Wigan), (t) 118, (m) 118
Bamfurlong (Wigan), 113
Barlow (Manchester), 298
Barton (Eccles), (t) 363, (m) 364
Bentcliffe (Eccles), 369
Beswick (Manchester), (t) 281, (m) 281
Bickershaw (Wigan), 114
Billinge Chapel End (Wigan), 83
Billinge Higher End (Wigan), 83
Birch (Manchester), 305
Birchley (Wigan), 85
Bispham Hall in Billinge (Wigan), 83, 85
Blackley (Manchester), (t) 255, (m) 255
Bolton, Little (Eccles), 395
Booth Hall in Blackley (Manchester), 256
Booths (Eccles), 382
Boysnope (Eccles), 370
Bradford (Manchester), (t) 274, (m) 275
Brindlache (Eccles), 394
Bromyhurst (Eccles), 373
Broughton (Manchester), (t) 217, (m) 217
Burnage (Manchester), (t) 310, (m) 310
Byrom (Winwick), 151
Cadishead (Eccles), 371
Cayley (Winwick), 140
Cheetham (Manchester), (t) 259, (m) 259
Chorlton-upon-Medlock (Manchester), (t) 251,
(m) 252
Chorlton-with-Hardy (Manchester), (t) 297,
(m) 298
Clayden (Manchester), 240
Clayton (Manchester), 282
Clifton (Eccles), (t) 404, (m) 404
Collyhurst (Manchester), 241
Croft (Winwick), (t) 168, (m) 168
Crumpsall (Manchester), (t) 262, (m) 262
Culcheth (Manchester), 271
Culcheth (Winwick), (t) 156, (m) 156
Dalton (Wigan), (t) 97, (m) 97
Davyhulme (Eccles), 372
Den ton (Manchester), (t) 311, (m) 311
Didsbury (Manchester), (t) 293, (m) 293
Droylesden (Manchester), (t) 282, (m) 282
Dumplington (Eccles), 374
Earlestown (Winwick), 132
Eccles, 352
Ellenbrook (Eccles), 391
Failsworth (Manchester), (t) 273, (m) 273
Garrett (Manchester), 240
Gidlow Hall (Wigan), 120
Golborne (Winwick), (t) 148, (m) 148
Gorton (Manchester), (t) 275, (m) 276
Gotherswick (Manchester), 270
Greenlow (Manchester), 254, 277
Grindlow. See Greenlow.
Haigh (Wigan), (t) 1 1 5, (m) 115
Hardy. See Chorlton
Harpurhey (Manchester), (t) 270, (m) 270
Haughton (Manchester), 322
Hawkley (Wigan), 81
Haydock (Winwick), (t) 137, (m) 137
Heaton Norris (Manchester), (t) 323, (m) 324
Hey (Winwick), 134
Hindley (Wigan), (t) 106, (m) 106
Hindley Hall in Aspull (Wigan), 120
Hindley Hall in Pemberton (Wigan), 80
XI
INDEX OF PARISHES, TOWNSHIPS, AND MANORS
Holcroft (Winwick), 160
Holt (Manchester), 308
Hope (Eccles), 394
Hough End Hall (Manchester), 291
Hough Hall (Manchester), 268
Houghton (Winwick), (t) 166, (m) 166
Houghton, Little (Eccles), 389
Houghton Peel (Winwick), 167
Hulme (Manchester), (t) 335, (m) 335
Hulme Hall (Reddish), 328
Hurst (Winwick), 163
Hyde Hall in Denton (Manchester), 3 1 6
Ince (Wigan), (t) 101, (m) 102
Irlam (Eccles), 371
Kempnough (Eccles), 388
Kenyon (Winwick), (t) 154, (m) 154
Kersal (Manchester), 219
Kingnull (Winwick), 163
Kirklees (Wigan), 12 1
Kirkmanshulme (Manchester), 271
Levenshulme (Manchester), (t) 309, (m) 309
Lightbowne Hall (Manchester), 265
Lightshaw (Winwick), 149
Litchford Hall (Manchester), 259
Liverpool, (p) i, (m) 2
Lowe (Wigan), 108
Lowton (Winwick), (t) 150, (m) 151
Manchester, (p) 174, (t) 222, (m) 230
Markland (Wigan), 82
Middleton (Winwick), (t) 166, (m) 166
Monks' Hall (Eccles), 368
Monsall (Manchester), 272
Monton (Eccles), 369
Mossley (Ashley- under-Lyne), 347
Moss Side (Manchester), 302
Moston (Manchester), (t) 264, (m) 267
Newchurch (Winwick), 164
Newham (Eccles), 370
Newton (Manchester), (t) 271, (m) 271
Newton-in-Makerfield (Winwick), (t) 1 32, (m) 1 33
Norley (Wigan), 79
Nuthurst (Manchester), 265
Occleshaw (Wigan), 1 1 3
Openshaw (Manchester), (t) 287, (m) 287
Ordsall (Manchester), 210
Orrell (Wigan), (t) 89, (m) 89
Peasfurlong (Winwick), 159
Pemberton (Wigan), (t) 78, (m) 79
Pendlebury (Eccles), (t) 397, (m) 397
Pendleton (Eccles), (t) 392, (m) 393
Platt (Manchester), 303
Reddish (Manchester), (t) 326, (m) 326
Risley (Winwick), 161
Rusholme (Manchester), (t) 303, (m) 303
Salford (Manchester), (t) 204, (m) 205
Shoresworth (Eccles), 397, 403
Slade (Manchester), 306
Smedley (Manchester), 261
Southworth (Winwick), (t) 168, (m) 168
Stalybridge (Ashton-under-Lyne), 347
Strangeways (Manchester), 260
Stretfbrd (Manchester), (t) 329, (m) 330
Swinton (Eccles), 389
Tetlow (Manchester), 218
Trafford (Manchester), 330
Tunstead (Wigan), 8 1
Upholland (Wigan), (t) 91, (m) 92
Walkden (Eccles), 390
Wardley (Eccles), 384
Weaste (Eccles), 396
Whittleswick (Eccles), 374
Wigan, (P) 57, (t) 68, (m) 70.
Winstanley (Wigan), (m) 83, (t) 87
Winton (Eccles), 370
Winwick, (p) 122, (t) 140, (m) 141
Withington (Manchester), (t) 288, (m) 288
Worsley (Eccles), (t) 376, (m) 376
Worsley Mesnes (Wigan), 80
Xll
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Old Dock and Custom House, Liverpool, 1721 ....
Liverpool : Plan, 1765 ........
Old Haymarket, 1850
Old Tithe Barn \
St. John's Lane, 1865 )
Lord Street, about 1798 .
in 1680 .........
North Shore Mill
Shaw's Brow j
St. Nicholas's Church /
St. Peter's Church . . . .
Old Bluecoat School j
Goree Buildings, 1828)
Wigan Church from the North-west, showing Towerl
Upholland Priory Church looking East /
Billinge : Bispham Hall \
Abram : Bamfurlong Hall J
Upholland Church : Plan .
Dalton : Scotts Fold, Douglas Valley
Stane House, Douglas Valley/
Winwick Church from the South \
,, North Arcade of Nave)
Newton in Makerfield : Newton-le-Willows Hall "i
Village Street looking towards Church/
Manchester and Salford : Plan, about 1650 .
,, Map, 1740 .
Plan, 1772 i
Salford : Bull's Head Inn, Greengate j
Manchester : General View from Mount Pleasant ....
Cathedral, from the South-east .....
Plan .
The Quire ......
Stalls in the Quire . . .
The Nave, showing Screen and Organ .
View across the Nave from the South-west .
Salford : Ordsall Hall : General View from the North-east, 1875 .
Bay Window of the Hall, &c., 1875
North Face of the Hall after removal of Plaster
Window of the 'Star Chamber,' c. 1875 .
Plan in 1 849 .
Plan . . .
Broughton : Kersal Cell : The South Front
Hall : The West Front . . . . . .
Manchester : The Market Place, about 1825 |
Chetham's Hospital, 1797 J
Plan . . .'* .
The Cloister \
The Great Hall J
xiii
PAGE
. frontispiece
full-page plate, facing 2
> 4
14
,. 22
., ,, 26
34
44
> > 4^
> 54
> 5
> 4
> > 9^
9 8
> M 124
174
178
180
coloured plait, facing
fall-page plate, facing
184
186
188
190
190
192
194
2IO
2IO
212
212
214
2I 4
22O
22O
224
"4
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE
Manchester : Chetham's Hospital, Corner of Reading Room | ^ _ fall-page plate, facing 226
The Screens
M The Gatehouse
Poet's Corner
The Seven Stars Inn .
St. Ann's Church 2 47
Moston : Hough Hall, Back View . .269
Droylsden : Clayton Hall, from the South-west . .284
Plan .286
Withington : Hough End Hall : South-west Front . J full-page plate, facing 292
from the South-east .
Didsbury Church : Plan . 2 94
Chorlton-with-Hardy : Barlow Hall . .... ... 300
Rusholme : Platt Hall . ... . 35
Slade Hall, East Front . 37
Denton Hall from the North-west . . ....... 3 1 3
Plan . . .314
Hyde Hall, Entrance Front . - 3 7
South Front .... .318
St. Laurence's Church 3 2
Hulme Hall: the Courtyard in 1843 . . . full-page plate, facing 338
Ashton-under-Lyne : Old Hall . -343
Parish Church : Glass in South-west Window \
of South Aisle . .... , - . ,
> full-page plate, facing 346
./^l HJT* 1 II XTT* J f ~ ^ * " ^ '
Glass m Middle Window of J
South Aisle .
Glass in East Window of South Aisle 348
Glass in West Window of North Aisle 350
Eccles Church : Plan ... -354
South View ..... . . fall-page plate, facing 356
Barton : Monk's Hall 368
Worsley : Wardley Hall : The Gateway 385
Plan . .... 386
The South Front full-page plate, facing 386
Courtyard from South-east . . . . . . . .387
,, from the South-west t
Pendlebury: Agecroft Hall, North-east Angle of Courtyard, c. 1875 J f tt 'W P ate > f actn Z 3**
Worsley : Kempnough Hall . . . . . . . . . . . .389
Pendlebury : Agecroft Hall from the South-east ..... fall-page plate, facing 400
............ 401
,t P^n . .... -403
LIST OF MAPS ' ,
Index Map to the Parish of Wigan . . . . . . . . . . -57
Winwick , . 123
Hundred of Salford . . . . . . . . ... 172
Parish of Manchester . . . . . . . . , -175
.> <. Ashton-under-Lyne . . . . . . . . -339
Parishes of Eccles and Flixton . 353
EDITORIAL NOTE
THE Editors are desirous of expressing their thanks to Mr. C. W. Sutton,
M.A., Mr. Ernest Axon, and Mr. H. T. Crofton, for their assistance
with regard to the history of Manchester and in many other ways ; and
in addition to those whose help has been acknowledged in previous
volumes they desire to record their obligations to the following : The
Earl of Wilton, the Earl of Ellesmere, Sir Humphrey de Trafford, bart.,
Mr. T. H. Davies-Colley, Mr. H. T. Folkard, F.S.A., Mr. S. Mills,
Mr. J. J. Phelps, and the Town Clerks and Librarians of Eccles and
Salford.
For the use of plans and for information regarding the architecture
of the county, the Editors are indebted to the late Mr. Alfred Darbyshire,
F.S.A., Mr. John Douglas, Mr. Harold Gibbons, Mr. A. Corbett and
the Manchester Society of Architects, Mr. Frank Oakley, Mr. George
Pearson, Mr. R. Basnett Preston, and Mr. Henry Taylor, F.S.A.
For the use of photographs for illustrations the Editors desire to
express their obligations to Mr. Fletcher Moss, J.P., and Mr. James Watts
for permission to reproduce those of Chetham's Hospital in Mr. Moss's
' Pilgrimages to Old Homes,' to Mr. A. E. H. Blackburn, and also to the
Editor of the Manchester City News for the block of Platt Hall.
Owing to unforeseen circumstances the publication of this volume
has been delayed, and although an attempt has been made to bring
the information up to the date of finally going to press, it has been
impossible to do so in every instance.
It should be noted that the class of documents at the British Museum
here cited as c Norris Deeds ' has been re-named ' Aston Hall Charters.'
The Towneley Manuscripts denominated G G and R R are in the British
Museum ; C C is in the Chetham Library.
XV
A HISTORY OF
LANCASHIRE
TOPOGRAPHY
THE HUNDRED OF WEST DERBY
(Continuation}
LIVERPOOL
Liuerpul (1207) ; Leuerepul (1229) ; Liuerpol
(1266) ; Lyuerpole (1346) ; Leuerpoll (1393) ;
Lytherpole (1445); Letherpole (1545); Litherpoole
otherwise Liverpoole (1752). The form in th is found
mainly in the I5th and i6th centuries.
The city of Liverpool extends for 6 miles along the
eastern margin of the Mersey estuary, covering the
western and part of the eastern slope of a ridge which
runs from north to south, roughly parallel with the
river, and varying in height from looft. to 200 ft.
In the southern part of the city this ridge rises by
gradual stages from the water's edge ; in the north-
ern part it is more abrupt, and stands back at some
distance from the river, leaving a broad margin of
comparatively flat ground. The modern city (1906)
includes not only the ancient township of Liverpool,
but also the townships of Kirkdale, Walton, part of
Fazakerley, Everton, West Derby, Wavertree, the
Toxteths and Garston, as well as Smeddon or Smith-
down, the Esmedun of Domesday. These areas have
been added by successive enlargements in 1835, 1894,
and 1902. The continuous house-covered or urban
area economically dependent upon Liverpool includes
also the townships of Bootle, Litherland, and Great
Crosby. The history of these townships is separately
treated elsewhere in this work, and the original town-
ship of Liverpool is all that has to be considered
here.
There are few cities whose modern development
has more profoundly modified the original topo-
graphical features of its site. The water-line has been
pushed out for a considerable distance by the erection
of a continuous line of 6 miles of docks. The first
of these docks, opened in I7I5, 1 was made out of
the mouth of a tidal creek re-entering from the
estuary, the upper reaches of which were at the
same time filled in. This creek, known as the Pool,
curved inland in a north-easterly direction along
the line of the modern Paradise Street, Whitechapel,
and the Old Haymarket for a distance of nearly
half a mile.* It was fed by two streamlets, one
coming from Everton at the northern end of the
ridge, while the other ran a more rapid course from
a marshy expanse, called the Mosslake, which lay half-
way up the slope to the south-east, between the
modern Hope Street and Crown Street.* The latter
stream fed the chief water-mill of mediaeval Liver-
pool. At the inner or north-eastern end of the Pool
there was a stretch of wet ground known as the
Moor Green ; the path which led to it from the
village (the modern Tithebarn Street) was known as
Moor Street until the 1 6th century. This ' moor '
may have given its name to the great Liverpool family
of Moore, More, or de la More. Between the Pool
and the Mersey a small peninsula was thus inclosed,
roughly triangular in shape, with its base to the north
and its apex overlooking the mouth of the Pool. The
peninsula sloped gently from each side and from the
level ground on the north, reaching its highest point,
about 50 ft. above sea level, near the apex of the tri-
angle, at the top of the modern Lord Street. This
point was the obvious site for the erection of the
castle ; while the whole peninsula formed a natural
fortress, easily defensible except on the north until
the age of artillery, when it was commanded from the
ridge behind. The Pool divided into nearly equal
halves the total area of the township, which amounted
to 1,858 acres, and almost exactly corresponded to the
modern parish.
Until the middle of the I7th century all the
houses and all the cultivated lands lay to the north of
the Pool and of the stream which ran into it from the
Mosslake, while the southern half of the township as
for as the wall of Toxteth Park (marked by the
modern Parliament Street) lay waste. It appears that
the limits of the Liverpool common were not pre-
cisely determined on the south-east ; for in 1617 the
copyholders of West Derby laid claim to a part of it, 4
apparently the Mosslake, which was valuable for tur-
bary. The Mosslake in the 1 5th century seems to
have been known as the West Derby fen.
From the earliest date all the streets of the
borough were clustered in the form of a double cross on
the gently rising ground within the small peninsula:
Juggler Street or High Street across the modern Ex-
change Flags forming the centre from which Castle
Street struck off to the south, Oldhall Street to the
north, Water Street or Boncke Street and Chapel
1 See below. a See map.
8 The evidence for these and other topo-
4
graphical details is to be found mainly
in the numerous local deeds of land-trans-
fer preserved by the Moore and Crone
families. 4 See below.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
Street to the west, and Dale Street and Moor Street to
the east. All these streets are known to have existed
in the i-j-th century,* and no others were added until
the I yth.
The geography of the fields of early Liverpool forms
a very obscure and difficult subject. The chief authori-
ties for them are the numerous deeds of transfer of
lands from the I3th century onwards, which were
preserved in the muniments of the Moore and Crosse
families ; but it has not yet been possible to construct
a detailed map of the mediaeval field system. Many
field-names are given in the deeds, the chief being the
Old Fields (Great and Little), the Heathy Lands
(Nether and Over), the Brecks, the Dalefield, the
Wallfield, the Milnefield, the Sheriffacres, the Castle
field, the Whiteacres, the Wetearth. 6 Some of these
doubtless represent approvements from the waste ; but
only one of these approvements can be definitely
dated. This was the Salthouse Moor, of which
45 acres were inclosed between 1296 and 1323,*
and 19 more between 1327 and I346. 8 The Salt-
house Moor probably lay at the north-west of the
township by the Mersey shore, but it is not possible
to be certain. 9
Next to nothing is known of L1VER-
MJNOR POOL before the creation of the borough
in 1207. In Domesday it is almost cer-
tainly one of the six unnamed berewicks attached to
the manor of West Derby. 10 What degree of depen-
dence upon the parent manor was involved in the
berewick period cannot be determined ; but probably
the Liverpool tenants did suit at the West Derby
halmote, as the tenants of the other berewicks long
continued to do. 11 At some date between 1 166 and
1 189 Liverpool was granted by Henry II to Warine
de Lancaster, along with other lands, and this may
have involved separation from West Derby and the
institution of a distinct court. The deed of grant
does not survive, but is referred to in an undated
confirmation " granted to Henry son of Warine by
John Count of Mortain, after his succession to the
honour. But Liverpool was not long permitted to
remain in the hands of a mesne lord. On 23 August
1207 John reacquired it, 13 giving the township of
English Lea near Preston in exchange. Five days
later the so-called ' charter ' " was issued which turned
the vill into a borough. Henceforward the descent
of the lordship of the borough follows the descent of
the honour of which it formed a part ; except during
the brief interval, 1315-22, when it was held by
LIVERPOOL. Argent
a cormorant sable beaked
and legged gules holding
in his beak a branch of
sea-weed called lover in-
verted -vert.
Robert de Holand under grant from Thomas Earl of
Lancaster. 13
Liverpool is distinguished from most
BOROUGH other boroughs by the fact that it owes
its foundation absolutely to an exer-
cise of the royal will ; there is no evidence that the
place was a centre of any trade before the date when
John fixed upon its sheltered
Pool as a convenient place of
embarkation for rnen and sup-
plies from his Lancashire lands
for his Irish campaigns. He
may have visited the place in
February 1206, on the way
from Lancaster to Chester ; K>
and probably the creation of
the borough should be re-
garded as part of the prepara-
tion for the great expedition
of 1 209. Some part of the
new population which was
necessary may have been found
by a transplantation from West
Derby, which is described in 1208 as having been
remota usque ad Liverpul ; 17 others doubtless came in
response to the 'charter,' which may more accurately
be described as a proclamation of invitation ; and the
original tenants of the township appear all to have
been enfranchised. For the reception of the new
population John had set apart a number of burgages
facing on the seven main streets of the borough.
The number of the original burgages it is impossible
to determine. There were 168 in I296, 18 and there-
after the number remained fixed. But it is probable
that there were fewer to begin with. Nor is it pos-
sible to be precise about the area of the burgage
proper, i.e. the building lot. It was big enough to
be divisible into minute fractions, as small as -^ or
-jV 19 Probably each burgage was a selion. In 1346
the commonest holding was half a burgage, and it is
likely that the burgages were divisible from the outset.
At the same date large holdings are found of 2, 3, 4,
5, and even 8 burgages. To each burgage proper was
attached one Cheshire acre in the town-fields, usually
consisting of two strips in different fields. 20 The rent
for burgage and field-holdings together was I ^d. per
annum, 21 payable half-yearly, a figure which suggests
the influence of Norman parallels. Or, rather, it
would be more accurate to say that the rent was charge-
able for the burgage, but ' acquitted ' also the corre-
6 Moore and Crosse deeds, passim.
4 The positions of these lands (in some
cases conjectural) are indicated in the
map. The names of most frequent
occurrence are the Oldfields, the Heathy
Lands, and the Dalefield, and it is prob-
ably in these that we should look for
the original town-fields. It may be con-
jectured that the Dalefield formed origi-
nally a part of the Little Oldfield, which,
lying round the village, was naturally
broken up by the streets ; that the two
Oldfields thug reconstructed formed the
lands of the township on a two-field sys-
tem before the constitution of the bor-
ough ; and that the Heathy Lands (as the
name itself suggests) were an approvement
from the waste on the north between
Liverpool and Kirkdale, made at an early
date, probably to meet the requirements
of the new population whom King John
introduced at the creation of the borough.
Other field-names may represent either
the original demesne (e.g. Castlefield), or
distinct portions of the older fields (e.g.
Milnefield, part of one of the Oldfields),
or more recent approvements (e.g. Wet-
earth).
7 See Muir in Trans. Hist. Soc. (new
ser.) xxi, 16, 17. Cf. Inq. p.m. 25
Edw. I, no. 51, with L.T.R. Enr. Accts.
Misc. 14, m. 76 d.
8 Ibid, and Add. MS. 32103, fol. 140.
9 The name seems to have been an
official one, not popularly adopted, for it
does not appear in the Moore or Crosse
deeds.
10 V.C.H. Lanes, i, 283.
11 See Lanes. Ct. R. (Rec. Soc. of Lanes.
and Ches. xli), passim.
13 Original at Hoghton Tower. Printed
in Farrer, Lanes. Pipe R. 432.
18 Chart. R. (Rec. Com.), 17 it. In
the Charter Rolls the date is given as Aug.
xxviii ; but this is a mistake for xxiii. The
deed is dated from Worcester, where John
was on the 23rd (Itin. of John) ; on the
28th he was at Winchester.
14 Orig. in Liv. Munic. Archives.
Printed in Hist. Munic. Go-vt.in Liv. 153.
15 Inq. p.m. i Edw. Ill, m. 88.
16 Itin. of John prefixed to Pipe R. of
John.
17 Pipe R. of 1207-9 ' n Lanes. Pipe R.
220, 228, 234 ; where an allowance of
9 8j. is made to the sheriff ' in defalta
de West Derbei quae est remota usque ad
Liverpul, per breve Regis.'
18 Inq. p.m. 25 Edw. I, no. 51.
19 Moore and Crosse deeds. Also Add.
MS. 32103 (extent of 1346).
20 Moore deeds, passim.
ffl Add. MS. 32103.
WEST DERBY HUNDRED
spending holdings in the fields ; for, as the Moore and
Crosse deeds abundantly show, these could be separ-
ately sold or let by the tenant, still being ' acquitted '
so far as the lord was concerned by the burgage to
which they were originally attached. The I zd. rent,
together with suit at the borough court, constituted
the whole of the 'service' due from the tenants."
There is no evidence for the payment of a heriot,
such as was exacted in Salford. 23
The privileges which John promised to the occu-
pants of the burgages are included under the general
phrase ' all the liberties and free customs which any
free borough on the sea has in our land.' This, if
taken literally, would place Liverpool from the outset
at the same level of burghal liberties as Bristol and
Southampton ; but probably nothing of the sort was
intended, 24 and the phrase is to be taken merely as
securing to the burgesses personal liberty, freedom
from service, free tenure of land, and exemption from
the payment of tolls within the limits of the borough,
though seemingly not beyond them. The grants of
John are essentially promises to individuals, not formal
concessions of powers to an organized community.
During the next twenty-two years the borough was
doubtless governed by a royal bailiff or steward, and
the burgesses were represented, as in the rural period,
by a reeve. 85 Probably, however, 1207 saw also the
establishment of a weekly market and an annual fair,
the erection of a mill, 16 and perhaps of a chapel.* 7
The gradual progress of the new borough is best
illustrated by the history of its yield to the royal
exchequer. From 1211 to 1219 the profits of Liver-
pool seem to have been included in those of West
Derby, from which it may be inferred that the borough
was administered in these years by the steward of the
neighbouring manor. In 1222 and the following
years " an assized rent of 9 was charged on the
borough, being answered for by William de Ferrers as
sheriff of Lancaster. How much was covered by this
rent it is not easy to determine, 29 but if it included
mills, ferry, and courts as well as the burgage rents
the borough must have been poor enough, or the
sheriff have made a substantial profit. Possibly the
burgesses may themselves have paid the assized rent,
but more probably the borough was farmed for this
sum by the sheriff. The tallages assessed on the
borough during the early years of Henry III show,
however, a steady advance. In 1 2 1 9 30 Liverpool
paid half a mark, West Derby a mark, Preston 10
LIVERPOOL
marks. In 1222" Liverpool paid 5 marks, West
Derby I mark, Preston 15 marks. In 1227" Liver-
pool paid 1 1 marks js. 8</., West Derby 7 marks
4/. Afd., Preston 15 marks 6V. In these years the
parent manor of West Derby had been completely
outstripped, while the new borough was rapidly over-
taking Preston.
A very important step forward was taken when on
24 March 1229 Henry III granted a charter" to
Liverpool, the burgesses paying for it 10 marks. The
payment shows that they had learnt to take common
action ; perhaps they had formed an illicit gild. The
charter of Henry III is of the first importance, as
it remained the governing charter of the borough
down to 1626, all the intervening charters being
merely confirmations with or without modifications.
The charter is on the most ample scale. It opens by
conceding that Liverpool should be a free borough
(liber burgus], for ever ; but this, though it secured,
probably did not extend the privileges already con-
ferred by John. In the second place it grants inde-
pendent jurisdiction to the borough court in the
regular formula of sac and soc, thol and theam, and in-
fangenethef, and exempts the burgesses from suit at
shire and hundred-courts for their holdings in the
borough. In regard to trade, the exemption from
tolls in the Liverpool market granted by King John
was now extended to all markets within the king's
dominions, and the Liverpool traders were thus placed
on a level with the burgesses of the most favoured
boroughs. But the most important concession of the
charter was the right to have ' a gild merchant with a
hansa and all the liberties and free customs pertaining
to that gild ' ; the privileges of trade, previously con-
fined to holders of burgages, being now limited to
members of the gild, while in future no one might be
permitted to trade in the borough without licence of
the gild. No evidence whatsoever survives as to the
mode of organization of the gild thus granted, or its
relation to the ordinary governmental machinery of
the borough. Doubtless all holders of burgages were
entitled to membership. 34
During the first century of the borough's existence
it is as difficult to say anything definite about the
borough government as about the gild. With regard
to officers, in 1246 the 'vill' was represented at the
eyre of the justices by twelve jurors, including
' Ranulf de Moore, reeve of the vill,' 35 but this seems
to be the only mention of a reeve ; probably he was
22 Add. MS. 32103 ; Reg. St. Wer-
burgh Hall MS. 1965, fol. xviii.
28 For discussion of this, see Hist.
Munic. Go-vt. in Liv. 1 3 n. 3.
24 Ibid. 15-17.
25 A reeve is mentioned in I 246 ; As-
size R. 1404, m. 1 6.
26 The mills certainly existed from
1256, and probably from 1229.
a ? The small chapel of St. Mary del Key
was in existence before 1257 ; see below.
28 Pipe R. 10 Hen. Ill ; Hist. Munic.
Go-vt. in Li-v. Z95.
29 Trans. Hist. Soc. (new sen), xxi, 6, 7.
80 Pipe R. 3 Hen. Ill, m. 12 d.
81 Ibid. 6 Hen. Ill, m. 5 d.
82 Ibid. II Hen. Ill, m. I.
88 Orig. in Liv. Munic. Archives ;
Chart. R. 13 Hen. Ill, m. 9; Hist. Munic.
Go-vt. in Liv. 155.
84 In the 1 6th century it had become
the practice to admit to the freedom of
the gild all sons and apprentices of free-
men (Munic. Rec. passim) on payment of a
small fixed fee, whether they held bur-
gages or not ; and as early as 1525 non-
resident merchants were admitted in large
numbers ; Duchy of Lane. Misc. vol.
95, fol. 36^ ; Hist. Munic. Govt. in Li-v.
402. Whether or no this practice
existed from the beginning it is impossible
to say ; but in any case the grant of gild-
powers rendered possible the admission to
trading privileges of persons other than
burgage holders, and thus prevented the
limitation of these privileges to a narrow
landholding oligarchy. But the non-
burgess members of the gild, in so small
a borough, must always have been few ;
and there can have been little distinction
between the burgess body proper and the
gild. Hence it is probable that, as in
other cases (Gross, Gild Merchant, i, chap,
v.), a single assembly and a single set of
officers served for both.
There is, indeed, throughout the Middle
Age no allusion in any document to
separate officers of the gild. In the i6th
century gild business and borough busi-
ness were indifferently transacted in the
same assemblies and by the same officers.
In 1551 there were elected two 'sene-
schals of the Gild Court ' (Munic. Rec. i,
za. But they were then only keepers of
the gildhall), whose existence suggests
that there had once been a distinctive
court for the enforcement of trade regula-
tions, which would not naturally fall
under the review of the borough-court.
But that is the only mention of any such
officials. Probably, therefore, the gild
added little to the complexity of burghal
organization ; and it should be regarded,
not as a distinct body, but rather as simply
adding certain new executive and legisla-
tive powers to the existing ruling bodies
of the borough. The question is dis-
cussed at length in Hht. Munic. Go-vt. in
Liv. 31-6. 86 Assize R. 404, m. 16.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
replaced by a bailiff. In 1292" the burgesses asserted
that they ' had been accustomed to have ' a bailiff ' of
themselves,' i.e. elected by themselves ; numerous
local deeds, 17 the earliest dating from 1309, show,
however, that there were two bailiffs. The pro-
bability is that the burgesses normally elected one, and
that the lord appointed the other to look after his dues.
When the burgesses held the farm of the town
they may have elected both bailiffs. In the only roll
of the borough court M of Liverpool which survives
from the mediaeval period, the lord's steward pre-
sides ; but this may be because the burgesses did not
then hold the farm of the town."
The great advance marked by the charter of
Henry III was completed by the concession to the
burgesses on the following day, 25 March 1229, of a
lease of the farm of the borough 40 at a rent of
10. The lease is in the most general terms, but it
is clear from the items included in the same rent in
1256" that it comprised the burgage rents, the
market tolls, and the profits of two water-mills and a
windmill." If at this date the burgages at all
approximated to their ultimate number of 1 68 the
burgesses must have made a substantial profit on this
lease. But the lease was only for four years, expiring
in 1233. While it lasted, the lease freed the bur-
gesses from the intervention of royal agents.
The burghal system of Liverpool had no sooner
been completed by these deeds than the borough
passed from royal to baronial control, as a result of
the grant of the borough, along with the rest of the
Lancashire lands of the Crown, to Ranulf, Earl of
Chester. 4 * During Ranulfs occupancy, which lasted
for three years only, and that of the three Ferrers,
Earls of Derby, whose tenure extended (with the
interval of the minority of Robert de Ferrers,
1254-62 (?)) until 1266, the material for the history
of the borough is singularly scanty. But the Ferrers
family appear to have respected the burghal liberties,
and to have renewed the lease of the farm (which fell in
in 1233) regularly at the same rental throughout the
period of their control. 44 In 1266, just before his
last rebellion and confiscation, Robert de Ferrers con-
firmed the charters 4A of Liverpool ; probably as a
means of raising money.
The most important event of the period
C4STLE was the erection of the Liverpool Castle,
which had taken place before 1235 and
may safely be attributed to the first William de
Ferrers. 46 There had long been a castle at West
Derby ; it was in ruins in 1296,^ but it had been
in existence in 1232," when
the first Ferrers took posses-
sion ; when his son succeeded
him, Liverpool Castle had
been built ; 49 probably the
one was intended to take the
place of the other. No re-
cord of its erection survives,
nor any account of the fabric
before a late date. It was
demolished in 1720, and no
satisfactory views or plans of it
IATX7
XAA7
XAAZ
survive. 60 It stood at the top
FERRERS, Earl of
Derby. fairy or and
gulet.
of the modern Lord Street
that is, on the highest point of land in the town, imme-
diately overlooking the entrance to the Pool. Occupy-
ing an artificially created plateau, almost exactly 50 yds.
square, it was surrounded by a moat some 20 yds.
wide, cut out of the solid rock." The main fabric
consisted of (i) a great gatehouse surmounted by two
small towers, which stood at the north-eastern corner,
and looked down Castle Street ; (2) three circular
towers at the three other corners ; one of these,
probably that at the south-east corner, was built later
than the rest of the fabric, in 144.2 ; the south-
western tower seems to have been regarded as the
keep of the fortress ; (3) curtain walls connected the
four main towers ; on the eastern side the wall rose
from the edge of the rock-plateau ; on the north and
88 Plac. de Quo War. (Rec. Com.),
381.
7 Moore D. passim.
M Roll of 1324; Lane. Ct. R. (Rec.
Soc. xli), 77-88.
89 As to lesser burghal officers there is
no evidence before the i6th century,
when we get the titles (Munic. Rec. i, za)
of a hay ward, two burleymen, two moss-
reeves, two ale-founders, all of whom
must have had mediaeval predecessors ;
and two water-bailiffs, four merchant
prysors, and two leve-lookers, who were
probably officials required by the gild
powers obtained under the charter of
Henry III (Gross, Gild Merchant) ; the
1 6th century also shows us in exis-
tence a body of jurats like those of
Leicester (Bateson, Rec. Leic.), Ipswich
(Little Domesday of Ipswich), and other
towns. They numbered twelre or twenty-
four, and made regulations for the better
government of the town, besides making
presentments in the portmoot. Their
decrees were at that date disregarded, but
they were considered to be the representa-
tives of an institution which had once
been powerful (Picton, Liv. Munic. Rec.
i, 52). It is likely, therefore, that in
mediaeval Liverpool, as in Leicester, Ips-
wich, and all the other boroughs of Eng-
land ' (Little Domesday of Ipswich), there
was a standing body of jurats who exer-
cised a general control over the adminis-
tration carried on by the bailiff and other
elected officers.
In the i6th century all the officers
were elected at an assembly of all freemen
held on St. Luke's Day, 18 October.
Other assemblies were summoned for
special business as occasion required.
There were also two solemn courts, or
portmoots, in each year ; the great port-
moot being held a few days after the
electoral assembly. In the mediaeval
period the only general bodies of which
there is mention (Add. MS. 32103 ;
Court Roll of 1324, Lane. Ct. R. 77-88)
were two great courts, corresponding
to the portmoots of the i6th century,
at which all burgesses were bound to be
present, and a lesser court held theoreti-
cally every three weeks, but in practice at
irregular intervals. Thus in 1 3 24 twelve
courts were held, at intervals varying
from a week to three months.
It is likely that the i6th century
differentiation between the portmoots for
legal business and the assemblies for
general business did not exist in the early
days of the borough ; but that the single
governing organ of the borough was the
portmoot, at which all burgesses were
entitled to be present, and, on two solemn
occasions a year, required to be present.
For a fuller discussion of the burghal
constitution under the charter of Hen. Ill
see Hist. Munic. Govt. in Liv. 20-36.
40 Pat. 1 3 Hen. Ill, m. 9 ; Hist. Munic.
Govt. in Liv. 296.
41 Trans. Hist. Soc. (new ser.), xxi, 8.
4a On the history of the mills and
milling soke of Liverpool, see Bennett and
Elton, Hist, of Corn-milling, iv, chap, iv,
where the facts are fully marshalled.
48 Cal. Close, 1227-31, p. 221 ; Chart.
R. 1 3 Hen. Ill, pt. i, m. 2.
44 This is a fair inference from the
fact that in 1256, during the minority of
Robert and the occupancy of his lands by
the king's son Edward, Edward's bailiff
renders account for the farm of the vill of
Liverpool at the old rent ; Duchy of
Lane. Mins. Accts. bdle. 1094, no. n ;
Hist. Munic. Govt. in Liv. 39, 296.
45 Hist. Munic. Govt. 156. Original in
Liv. Munic. Archives.
46 Cal. Pat. 1232-47, p. 89.
4 ' Inq. p.m. 2$ Edw. I, no. 51.
48 Cal. Close, 1231-4, p. 169.
49 Fine Roll, 32 Hen. Ill, pt. i, m. 14.
* The best discussion and reconstruc-
tion of the castle is by E. W. Cor,
Trans. Hist. Soc. (new ser.), vi.
&1 Mr. Cox has been followed in infer-
ring these main features of the castle
from (i) the Extent of 1346 ; (2) de-
tailed instructions for repairs in 1476
(Duchy of Laac. Bk. of Orders, etc.
Edw. IV, fol. 140) ; (3) report of com-
missioners on demolition of the castle,
1706, Okill MSS. iv, 337.
WEST DERBY HUNDRED
LIVERPOOL
south it was recessed so as to be commanded from the
towers ; on the west it formed an obtuse angle, the
angle touching the edge of the rock ; (4) the hall
and a chapel probably lay respectively along the
western and southern walls, and were connected with
the south-western tower ; (5) there were also a brew-
house and a bakehouse, the sites of which cannot be
determined ; they may have been in the north-west
angle, near which a postern gate led to an under-
ground passage from the moat to the edge of the
river. 5 * The courtyard seems to have been divided
by a wall running from north to south. A survey
of 2 October I559 52a gives further interesting details
of the building. It was at the time ' in utter ruin
and decay,' there having been no lead on any of
the buildings within the memory of man. The
great tower, probably that at the south-west, had
a slated roof, and the commissioners suggested that
it should be repaired and used for the keeping of
the * Quenes Majesties Courtes for Her Graces
Wappentacke of West Derbyshyre, being a very greate
soken,' and for the storage of the court rolls. The
* ringe walle ' or curtain and the masonry of the
towers seem to have been fairly sound, and only
needed protection from the weather, and the com-
missioners strongly advised the putting of the castle
into substantial repair at a cost of about 100,
' otherwaies it were a grate defacement unto the said
towne of Litherpole.' No mention is made of any
moat in the report, and there is some tradition that
none existed till the Civil Wars, but no proof of this
is obtainable.
There was a dovecot under the castle wall, and an
orchard ran down the slope to the Pool on the east.
Out of this orchard Lord Street was cut in the 1 7th
century. Thus the first period of baronial suzerainty
had resulted in the overawing of the burgesses by a
formidable fortress.
On the rebellion and forfeiture of Robert de
Ferrers Liverpool, with other possessions between
Ribble and Mersey, passed to the hands of the
Crown. Henry III at once granted them with the
honour of Lancaster to his second son, Edmund ; to
whose representatives Mary de Ferrers, wife of the
forfeited earl and niece of the king, was ordered to
surrender the castle of Liverpool in July I266. 53
This begins the second part of the baronial period of
Liverpool history, extending over the earldoms of
Edmund and Thomas of Lancaster, 1266-1322.
Both of these earls seem to have treated the borough
with some harshness. In the first place the lease of
the farm was not renewed. Earl Edmund took the
administration of the town into his own hands, 54 or
at least broke up the farm into several parts ; and the
total yield under the new system in place of the old
rent of 10 amounted to 25 los. in the latter
years of Earl Edmund and about 30 by the end of
the reign of Earl Thomas ; the tolls of market and
fair alone brought in as much as the old rent ; but
there seems reason for believing that a farm of these
tolls was held by the burgesses. 55
The greatly increased yield of the town affords
evidence, however, that the earl was doing his best
to develop its resources, and the beginning of a period
of prosperity may perhaps be attributed to this time.
In addition to the suppression of the lease of the farm,
Edmund overrode the chartered rights of the burgesses.
In 1292 the bailiffs and community of Liverpool
were summoned on a quo warranto 56 plea to Lancaster.
No bailiffs came ; but several men came for the com-
munity, and, producing the charters of John and
Henry III, stated that they had been a free borough
with a gild, &c. ; but that Earl Edmund suffered
them not to have a free borough, or to elect a bailiff
* of themselves ' ; wherefore they did not claim these
liberties at present. The further hearing of the case
was adjourned, but there is no record of the decision.
Whatever the decision, the burgesses did not regain
their rights till the beginning of the reign of
Edward III.
During this period the growing importance of the
town (or the power of its masters) is recognized in the
summons of burgesses from Liverpool to the Parliament
of 1295, and again to that of 1307." The first
Liverpool members of Parliament were Adam son of
Richard, and Robert Pinklowe. After 1307 the
borough did not again return members to Westminster
until the middle of the 1 6th century.
During the earldom of Thomas of Lancaster the
steady progress of Liverpool appears to have continued.
It is to this period that we
must attribute the inclosure of
Salthouse Moor, of which no
mention is made in 1296, but
which was in occupation and
yielding rent in I322. 48 This
is the only large approvement
from the waste of which there
is any trace, before the I7th
century. The area first in-
closed amounted to 45 acres ;
which were in 1 346 59 divided
among 5 1 free tenants and 47
tenants-at-will, and in 13227
yielded 4O/. of rent. Most of the tenants in these new
lands already held burgages in the borough, but 32
of them were not included in the burgess roll, and
this involved that they were a new class of tenants,
not sharing in the liberties, but directly under the
control of the lord. He could hold a distinct court
for them if he wished ; and though this does not
seem to have been done at this period, that was only
because the lord's steward was presiding over the
borough-court. At a later date questions of the first
THOMAS, Earl of Lan-
caster. ENGLAND -with
a label of FRANCE.
53 A rock-cut passage still runs under
James Street, from tomewhere near the
position of the castle, towards the river.
It was entered and examined in May 1862
by Mr. P. M. Coogan (Rep. in vol. 2,
p. 132 of the Misc. Rep. in the City En-
gineer's Office), and a plan and sections
were made, showing that it varied in
height and width, averaging about 8 ft. in
height, and has in its floor on the south
side a channel, which, when lately sounded
on the suggestion of Mr. Robert Glad-
stone, junr., has proved to be as much as
7 ft. 6 in. deep. It was again examined
by the city engineer in 1908, and a new
plan made. That it had some connexion
with the ditch of the castle seems pos-
sible, and its depth is said to be sufficient
to allow the river water to reach the ditch
at high water.
62a Duchy of Lane. Special Commis-
sions, no. 9.
68 Pat. 50 Hen. III.
64 Inq. p.m. 25 Edw. I, no. 51 5
L.T.R. Enr. Accts. Misc. no. 14, m. 77.
Perhaps this may have been the result of
his visit to Liverpool in 1283 ; Whalley
Coucher, 507.
K Trans. Hist. Soc. (new ser.), xxi,
II.
"Plac. de Quo War. (Rcc. Com.),
38 1 1.\ Hist. Munic. Govt. in Li-u. 41, and
397-
W Par I. Writ*, i, 39 (18).
68 L. T. R. Enr. Accts. Misc. no. 14,
m. 77.
M Extent of 1346, Add. MS. 32103, to
which a full list of burgesses and tenants
in Salthouse Moor is appended.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
importance were to arise from the existence of this
group of tenants.
This was not the only new use made of the waste
by Thomas of Lancaster. In the year 1310, on a
visit to the borough, the earl granted to the burgesses M
6 Cheshire acres of moss ' adjoining the mill-pool of
the vill of Liverpool ' at a rental of one silver penny
per annum. This was in exchange for the right
which they had previously possessed of digging peat in
Toxteth Park. Important as being the first piece of
corporate property owned by the burgesses, this patch
of moss lay at the upper end and on the eastern side
of the Pool, and formed part of the Mosslake. The
rent of it appears among the revenues of the town
during the remainder of the I4th century ; in the
1 5th it disappeared, being merged in that general
control over the whole of the waste which the bur-
gesses of that period quietly usurped. But in spite
of this gift the earl does not seem to have attached
much value to the borough, for in 1315 he granted
both castle and borough to Robert de Holand. But
no charter was sealed, nor did the tenants do homage ; 61
in consequence of which Holand's son, after the death
of Thomas of Lancaster, failed to obtain restitution
of the estate, though he petitioned Parliament and
obtained a favourable report from the treasurer and
the barons of the exchequer. 6 '
The confusion produced by the turbulence of
Thomas of Lancaster and the weak government of
Edward II was felt at Liverpool as elsewhere. In
1315 Adam Banastre, Henry de Lea, and William
de Bradshagh raised a rebellion against the earl ; and
marching from their rendezvous at Charnock by way
of Wigan, under the standard of Adam Banastre, made
an assault upon Liverpool Castle. 63 They were driven
back, and then fell upon West Derby. This is the
only occasion on which the castle is known to have
been attacked before the Civil War.
On the attainder and execution of Thomes of Lan-
caster royal agents reappeared in the borough. The
very full accounts 64 which they rendered from 1322
to 1327 supply some of the most valuable material for
ascertaining the condition of the town ; and it is to this
time that the single court roll for the mediaeval period
that for the year 1324 belongs. In 1323 King
Edward II himself visited Liverpool, staying for a
week in the castle between 24 and 30 October. In
preparation for him the castle was thoroughly repaired
and victualled ; M and the sum of is. $>d. in particular
was expended in mending the roof of the hall. 66
During the last troubled years of Edward II, the
bailiffs of Liverpool were kept busy carrying out
feverish orders : such as to hold ready for the king's
service all ships of sufficient burthen to carry 40 tuns
of wine, to make returns of such ships, to warn
mariners to beware of pirates, 67 to proclaim kindly
usage for Flemings. 68 When, in 1326, the situation
became really critical, the bailiffs were ordered to send
all ships of 50 tons and upwards to Portsmouth j 69 to
search all persons entering or leaving the port, and to
seize letters prejudicial to the king ; 70 and to prevent
the export of horses, armour, or money. 71 So, amid
feverish feeble strife, the reign of Edward II came to
an end. With it ended an epoch for Liverpool.
The century from 122910 1 3 27 had seen a serious
diminution of burghal liberties, but it had also wit-
nessed a substantial expansion of the borough's re-
sources. In the next age this expansion continues,
and is accompanied by a remarkable revival of the
privileges of the burgesses, which attained their highest
point at the end of the century.
The disorders which had marked the later years
of Edward II continued to disturb Liverpool in the
early years of his successor, and their echoes are
audible in the trials of the period of which record
remains. In 1332 Robert son of Thomas de Hale
slew Henry de Walton at Liverpool, in the church
before the altar ; a few days later Simon son of William
de Walton struck and wounded Henry Ithell, and on the
next day his brother Richard struck and wounded Robert
the Harper." In 1335 Sir William Blount, sheriff
of the county, was murdered in Liverpool while en-
gaged in the execution of his office, 73 and four
years later five men, in consideration of their hav-
ing ' gone beyond the seas ' in the king's service, 74
were pardoned for this crime and also for the murder
of Henry Baret and Roger Wildgoose. As late as
St. Valentine's Day 1345 there was a serious disturb-
ance of the peace in Liverpool : 7i a body of lawless
men having entered the town in arms, with banners
unfurled as in war, forced their way into the court
where the king's justices were in session, and after
hurling * insulting and contumacious words,' ' did
wickedly kill, mutilate, and plunder of their goods,
and wound very many persons there assembled, and
further did prevent the justices from showing jus-
tice . . . according to the tenour of their commis-
sion.' Three weeks later special justices were appointed
to deal with the offenders, and in July a large number
of persons, many of them being men of position in
the county, were pardoned at the request of the Earl
of Lancaster, on condition that they went at their
own charges for one year to do service to the king in
Gascony.
A condition of society such as is indicated by these
events could scarcely be favourable to the growth of
peaceful trade ; nevertheless, the growth of Liverpool
continued. In 1338 the earl appears to have made
an addition to the approved lands in Salthouse Moor,
and enfeoffed a number of tenants at fines of 5 marks
to the acre ; 76 and the details of the assessment for the
levy of a ninth in 1340 show a number of substan-
tial persons to have been resident in the town. 77 We
now obtain the first clear indications of the extent and
nature of the trade of the town, of which something
will be said later ; it would appear that Liverpool had
become one of the most considerable ports of the
west coast. As such, during the Scottish wars of the
early years of Edward III, and during the Irish wars
of the later years of his reign, it proved very useful as
60 Original in Liv. Mimic. Archives.
61 Inq. p.m. i Edw. Ill, m. 88. The
manor of West Derby was granted to
Holand 3 Feb. 1320. The charter was
inspected and the grant confirmed by the
king 22 Feb. 1320. Cal. Pat. 1317-21,
p. 431.
a Rot. Par!, ii, 1 8.
68 Coram Rege R. 254, m. 51.
64 L.T.R. Enr. Accts. Misc. no. 14.
65 The walls, towers, houses, and gates
of the castle were ordered to be repaired
and the castle victualled 7 Feb. 1323.
Cal. Close, 1318-23, p. 627.
66 L.T.R. Enr. Accts. loc. cit.
6 ? Cal. Close, 1323-7, p. 183.
68 Ibid. pp. 367, 378.
89 Ibid. p. 641.
6
7<> Ibid. p. 537. 71 Ibid. p. 546.
73 Assize R. no. 1411, m. 2.
78 Cal. Pat. 1334-8, p. 580.
7< Ibid. 1338-40, pp. 217, 229, 232,
235-
75 Ibid. I343-5. PP- 495-95 Coram
Rege R. 344, m. 8.
76 Add. MS. 32105, GG. 2901.
77 Exch. Lay Subs. bdle. 130, no. 15.
WEST DERBY HUNDRED
LIVERPOOL
a port of embarkation ; and it is probably to the
attention thus directed to it that we must attribute
the revival of the town's political fortunes.
In 1327 the constable of Liverpool Castle was
ordered 78 to receive within the castle men fleeing
from the invading Scots. Next year the bailiffs of
Liverpool were ordered to have all vessels in the port
of 40 tons burthen in readiness to resist the king's
enemies from Normandy and Poitou. 79 In 1333 the
bailiffs were commanded to retain all vessels of
burthen sufficient for 50 tuns of wine, and to pre-
pare them hastily with double equipment for the
defence of the kingdom against the Scots,* and the
mandate was repeated in the next year, a royal com-
missioner being told off to supervise the preparations. 81
In 1335 a clerk of the Exchequer was told off to pro-
vide two ships of war fully manned and armed, to
sail from Liverpool in pursuit of a great ship loaded
with wine and arms, coming from abroad, and destined
for the aid of the king's enemies in the castle of Dum-
barton. 82 These ships seem also to have been used to
carry supplies for the royal army to Skymburnesse, at
the mouth of the Solway. 63 In the same year six of
the largest ships to be found on the west coast be-
tween Liverpool and Skymburnesse were ordered to
be manned and armed and sent against the Scottish
ships. 8 *
In the French wars of the middle part of the reign
Liverpool naturally took less share ; M but the inse-
curity of English waters which marked the first part
of the war is indicated by the receipt of an order to
the Liverpool bailiffs not to permit vessels to leave the
port for foreign parts save in great fleets and under
escort, 86 while on more than one occasion Liverpool
ships were summoned to southern ports to help in
dealing with threatened French attacks. 87
In the later part of the reign of Edward III, and
during the reigns of Richard II and Henry IV, Liverpool
was still more actively engaged in connexion with the
Irish wars than she had been at the commencement
of the period with the Scottish wars. In 1361 ' the
whole navy of the land, competently armed,' was
brought to transport Lionel of Clarence and his army
to Ireland from Liverpool and Chester; 88 in 1372
all ships between 20 tons and 200 tons burthen
between Bristol and Liverpool were ordered to be
collected at Liverpool for the transport 89 of William
de Windsor, * governor ... of our realm of Ireland,
.and of the men at arms and others about to depart
in our service in the retinue of the said William.'
In the next year all ships between Southampton and
Furness were ordered to be brought to Liverpool for
a similar purpose. 90 The port was constantly uti-
lized for the embarkation of troops, and the Patent
Rolls contain frequent notices of the assemblage of
78 Rot. Scot, i, 209.
79 Cal. Close, 1327-30, p. 307.
80 Rot. Scot, i, 248, 258.
81 Ibid. 306, 309.
82 Cal. Close, 1333-7, p. 414 ; Rot. Scot.
i, 321. 83 Pipe R. 9 Edw. III.
84 Cal. Rot. Scot, i, 355.
85 It has long been supposed that one
Liverpool ship took part in the siege of
Calais ; Baines, Liverpool, 152 ; Kaye's
Stranger in Liv. (1825 ed.), 1 5. It is clear,
however, that this vessel hailed from
Mersea in Essex, and not from the River
Mersey, as pointed out by Mr. Robert
Gladstone, jun. See the Liverpool Courier,
26 Dec. 1905.
ships and considerable forces of men in the town on
the way to Ireland. 91
This frequent use of the port for royal purposes,
which doubtless brought with it an expansion of trade
to both Scotland and Ireland, is beyond question the
main reason for the favour now shown to Liverpool
both by the king and by the earl. 91 The first sign of
this is the grant of the right to collect certain dues for
paving the town, first made in 1328 for a period of
three years, and renewed several times during the
century. 93 The collection of these dues and the
spending of them represent a new kind of corporate
action on the part of the burgesses, and therefore
mark a stage in the development of municipal govern-
ment. The money does not seem always to have
been used for the purpose for which the grant was
made, for in 1341 a commission of investigation had
to be sent to Liverpool, as the king was informed that
much of the money collected had been misappro-
priated. 94 In 1333 a still more valuable favour was
received from the king in the grant of a new charter. 95
The charter contains no new grant, being merely a
confirmation of its predecessors. But we have seen
that such a confirmation was highly necessary, and we
may assume that from this date the free exercise of
chartered liberties, prevented since the accession of
Edmund of Lancaster, recommenced.
Still more important than the charter, the lease
of the farm of the borough is gradually regained
during this period. 96 At the beginning of the reign
of Edward III the burgesses seem to have held a
lease only of the tolls of the market and fair. 97
The first great advance is marked by the extent
of the lands of the second Henry of Lancaster,
made in 1346 after his succession to the earldom.
In this deed there is a combined farm of the
mills, tolls, and ferry for 24 per annum, which
has been held for some years by an unnamed farmer,
almost certainly representing the burgesses, and which
is henceforward to be raised to ^26. 98 In 1357
there comes a highly important new lease of the
farm," at a rent of 33, which was granted to eight
leading burgesses on behalf of the community. This
lease included the burgage rents and the profits of
courts, in addition to the rights covered by the
previous lease. 100 From this lease, however, the rents
of the new inclosures in Salthouse Moor seem to be
omitted, and it would appear that while the burgesses
resumed control of their own borough-court, a separate
court was now instituted for these tenants. Apart
from this, the sole reservations were the castle with
its purlieus, forfeitures of lands, and (probably) escheats.
By 1357, therefore, the burgesses had again attained
to all but the highest degree of municipal liberties.
The 1357 lease appears to have been continued
88 Rot. Scot, i, 467. 8 " Ibid.
88 Pat. 35 Edw. Ill, pt. 2, m. 24.
89 Ibid. 47 Edw. III. Printed in Baines,
Liv. 165-6, from Okill's transcripts.
<JO Ibid. 48 Edw. Ill ; Baines, op. cit.
166.
91 Cal. Pat. 1377-81, p. 385 ; 1385-9,
p. 163; 1388-92, pp. 134. 405, 385;
1399-1401, p. 164, &c.
92 Ibid.
93 Ibid. 1327-30, p. 231; 1330-4, p.
39 6 5 J334-8, p. 223 ; 1381-5, p. 130.
1 Ibid - I340-3. P; 3*3-
93 Original in Liv. Munic. Archives.
Hist. Munic. Go-vt. in Liv. 158.
96 The steps in this process are analysed
7
in detail in Trans. Hist. Sec. (new. ser.),
xxi, 1-27.
9 <" Ibid. 13 ; L. T. R. Enr. Accts. Misc.
no. 14, m. 77.
"Ibid. 19; Add. MS. 32103; Hist.
Munic. Govt. in Liv. 299.
99 Duchy of Lane. Chan. R. no. 2 ;
Hist. Munic. Govt. in Liv. 302 and 47.
See also Trans. Hist. Soc. loc. cit. 23.
100 In view of these additions the rent
is extremely moderate, for the burgage
rents of 8 more than make up the
difference between the old rent of 26 and
the new rent of ,33. Possibly the rea-
son for this moderation was that the town
suffered severely from the Black Death.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
regularly until I393, 101 when it was replaced by a still
more extensive lease granted by John of Gaunt, which
represents the highest point attained by the municipal
liberties of Liverpool during the Middle Ages. 103
The rent was raised to 38, but the lease included a
grant of control over the whole of the waste, a power
which the burgesses were never to lose, though it is
not mentioned in later leases ; it included all the
lord's jurisdictional rights (embracing, apparently, the
right of holding a court for the Salthouse Moor tenants,
which brought these tenants under the control of the
borough courts and officers) ; and it included the
right of taking escheats and forfeitures. In brief, the
effect of this lease was to extrude the feudal power
entirely from the borough, except within the walls of
the castle. The lease was for seventeen years, and
expired in 1410. It thus extended well into the new
period which began when, by the accession of the
House of Lancaster to the throne, the borough was
once more brought into direct relation with the
Crown.
The extension of municipal powers represented by
these leases was accompanied by a development of
the burghal system of government. In 1351 there is
the first mention of a mayor of Liverpool. 103 No
royal or ducal grant of the right to elect such an
officer survives, and the probability is that his appear-
ance is the result of the re-acquisition of the lease of
the farm, and perhaps dates from 1346, or even earlier.
Up to that time it seems probable that the burgesses
had only elected one bailiff, 104 the other being nomi-
nated by the lord ; and as the functions performed
by the latter (collection of dues and presidency of the
court) were much the more important, he would be
very definitely major ballivus. When these functions
pass into the hands of the burgesses, they elect their
own major ballivus. It was as major ballivus that the
mayor began, 10 * but later he nominated a bailiff of
his own. It is instructive to find that this second
bailiff was always regarded as representing the Crown
(i.e. the lord) as well as the mayor. 196
It is possible that the same period also saw the
institution of another element in burghal government
the Court of Aldermen. 107 Each of the leases from
1357 was granted to a group of leading citizens, most
of whom repeatedly occupied the mayoral chair, and
who were probably selected as substantial men, able to
stand surety for the payment of the rent. In the
lease of 1393 they were formally empowered to hold
the borough courts. Both in its functions and in its
personnel, this group closely resembles the Court of
Aldermen as it is found in the 1 6th century, when
records begin to be abundant.
Thus the 1 4th century, in spite of the disorders of
its first half, and the distresses caused by plague and
war in its second half, witnessed firstly a steady growth
of the town and a steady expansion of its prosperity ;
and secondly a striking revival and development of its
municipal liberties. One exception to this statement,
however, must be made. Though there is no trace of it
in the records, it would appear that the influence of the
Peasants' Revolt extended to Liverpool. One of the
demands made by the rebels was the withdrawal of the
monopoly enjoyed by the privileged burgesses in
towns ; and it is probably to some such demand that we
must attribute the grant of the charter of Richard II in
1382, the year after the rising. 108 The only distinc-
tive feature of this charter is its revocation of the
power of prohibiting trade by non-members of the
gild which had been contained in the earlier charters,
and it is inconceivable that the burgesses can have
applied for this. But in spite of this charter, clearly
the little borough was thriving ; and it is possible,
through the greater abundance of material, to get
some notion of its life and working at this, the moment
of its greatest prosperity.
The burgess roll appended to the extent of 1346
shows that there were 196 householders in Liverpool
paying rent to the lord. On the usual basis of calcu-
lation, this would give a population of just under
1,000. But as the more substantial burgesses, who
held large holdings in the fields or engaged largely in
trade, must have had dependants not included in this
estimate, the population may perhaps be put down at
something like 1,200. It probably did not increase it
may have decreased during the second half of the
century, for Liverpool suffered severely from the
Black Death ; in 1360 the deaths were so numerous
that the dead could not be buried in Walton
Churchyard, and a licence was obtained from the
Bishop of Lichfield for burials in St. Nicholas's
Churchyard. 109
This population must be regarded as being still, for
the most part, except on market days, engaged in
agriculture. Every burgess had holdings in the fields.
The commonest holding was half a burgage, with
about I acre in the fields, but some of the leading
townsmen held much larger allotments. The will of
William de Liverpool, 110 the leading burgess in the
second half of the I3th century, survives, and an
inventory of his property attached to it shows that his
wealth was almost purely agricultural in character.
He has grain in his barn worth 6 i$s. 4^., and
24 selions of growing wheat in the fields, worth j.
He has nine oxen and cows worth about 101. apiece,
six horses worth about js. each, and eighteen pigs
valued at is. 6d. each. His domestic furniture is
valued at j 6s. %d. But no merchandise is included
in the inventory. As we shall see, William de Liver-
pool derived most of his wealth from milling.
The trade of the borough was probably mainly local
in character. The weekly market, held every Saturday,
and the annual fair on St. Martin's Day, probably
mainly dealt in agricultural produce from the neigh-
bouring parts of Lancashire and Cheshire. The ferries
over the Mersey were of first-rate importance for this
purpose ; of these there seem to have been three.
There seem to have been two ferries included in
101 Irant. Hilt. Soc. loc. cit. 26-7 ; Hist.
Munic. Govt. in. Liv. 47-54, 304-6.
101 The original of this is lost. A copy
it printed in Gregson's Fragments, 352 ;
there is another copy among Okill's
manuscripts in the municipal archives.
Printed in Hist. Munic. Govt. in Liv.
306.
10 Elton, 'Early Recorded Mayors of
Liv.' Trans. Hist. Sec. (new ser.), xviii,
1 1 9 ff. gives a catalogue of the early
mayors, taken from the witnesses to the
deeds in the Moore and Crosse collections.
104 They only claim one bailiff in the
Quo Warranto Plea of 1292.
105 Willielmo filio Ade tune maiore de
Lyverpull, Roberto filio Mathaei tune altero
ballivorum ibidem ; Add. MS. 32105, GG.
219.
06 Thus in 1647 Richard Williamson
8
nominatus et electui est Ballivus fro
domino rege et majore burgi predict! ;
Johannes Sturzaker nominatus et electut
est Ballivus pro villa et burgo predicto.
10 7 On this see Hist. Munic. Govt. in
Liv. 51.
108 Original in Liv. Munic. Archives ;
Hist. Munic. Govt. in Liv. 52 and 159.
109 Lich. Epis. Reg. v, 44-5.
110 Crosse Deeds, 77.
WEST DERBY HUNDRED
LIVERPOOL
BlRKENHEAD PRIORY.
Quarterly gulei and or,
over all a crazier erect
proper, in the fir tt quarter
a lion of England.
the Liverpool farm, 111 one to Runcorn, the other
(probably) to Birkenhead. In addition, the prior of
the Benedictine monastery in Birkenhead enjoyed,
from 1330 at the latest, 111 * the right of ferry from
Birkenhead to Liverpool. In
1 3 1 7 m Edward II granted to
the prior the right of build-
ing houses of entertainment
for the use of the ' great num-
bers of persons wishing to
cross there,' who were 'often
hindered,' by reason of 'con-
trariety of weather and fre-
quent storms.' From the re-
cord of a Quo Warranto inquiry,
to which the prior was sum-
moned in I354, us we learn
that the ferry tolls from the
Birkenhead side were : for a
man on foot, \d. ; for man and
horse, id. On Liverpool market days a man on foot
was charged \d., and if carrying baggage \d. Probably
the fares on the Liverpool ferry were the same. The
connexion of the Birkenhead monastery with Liverpool
was intimate. The prior held in Water Street a house
and barn for the storage of corn waiting for the
market. 114 There is no evidence as to the nature of
the tolls charged in the Liverpool market and fair.
They yielded in all never less than jio a year during
the 1 4th century.
With regard to the sea-going trade of Liverpool the
evidence is equally scanty. 115 The appointment by
the Crown of the mayor as deputy steward for the
prisage of wines in the Port of Liverpool in I364 116
seems to indicate that there was some importation of
wines from Gascony, and this is borne out by other
notices. Probably the sea-going trade of Liverpool at
this period, as in the 1 6th century, was mainly with Ire-
land, and consisted of an exchange of rough manufac-
tured goods and iron, against cattle and hides. The fact
that down to the 1 8th century Bristol, Waterford, and
Wexford were the only ports 117 in which Liverpool
merchants claimed, and to whose traders the Liverpool
burgesses habitually conceded, that right of exemption
from dues which the charters granted in universal
terms, seems to show that it was the Irish trade which
was alone developed to any considerable extent. 118 In
1350 we get a glimpse of the nature of a Liverpool
merchant's goods from a suit in which William de
Longwro sued Adam de Longwro, his bailiff, for an
account of his stewardship during the previous year,
and his use of twenty entire woollen cloths (pieces),
IO quarters of barley, 40 quarters of oats, and iron
worth i oo, and of I oo/., which he had received to
trade with. 119 Lancashire and Yorkshire woollen goods,
iron from Furness, and corn seem to be the staples of
export trade. Perhaps salt from Cheshire may be
added.
Nor can much be said about the industries of the
borough. There is no trace of the existence of craft
gilds in the mediaeval period. Two such gilds are
recorded to have come into existence in the i6th
century, but they were then novelties ; If probably
the number of craftsmen was too small a few weavers
and smiths may have exhausted the list. Two gold-
smiths are named in the burgess roll of 1346. But
the industries were doubtless merely the normal
industries of a rural market-town. Brewing seems to
have been carried on very actively. In the single
year 1324 m there were thirty-five prosecutions for
breaches of the assize of ale, and this involves that
many more were brewing and selling ale on legal terms.
Not only the demands of market days, but especially
the healthy thirst of the soldiers who were constantly
encamped in Liverpool during this period, makes it
natural to imagine almost every burgess as making some
profit in this way.
The mills play an important part in the life of the
borough. 1 " In I256 1 " there had been three mills,
two water-mills and a windmill, probably all at or
near the same place, on the stream which ran into
the upper end of the Pool, where a mill-dam remained
long after the mills had vanished. By 1 296 one of
the water-mills had disappeared ; m by 1 3 2 3 the second
had been replaced by a horse-mill, 125 probably in
Castle Street. The single windmill was that of
Eastham, on the rising ground south-east of the Pool,
behind the modern art gallery. By 1348 m a second
windmill had been added. This was the Townsend
Mill, which stood close to the Eastham Mill, near the
site of the Wellington monument. The horse-mill
still survived, and the three mills were included in the
leases held by the burgess body from (at the latest)
1348 ; each of them being separately sub leased to a
working miller. At one or another of these mills all
inhabitants of Liverpool were bound to grind, and
they may also have been used by some of the neigh-
bouring townships. 117 Much the most important of
the mills was that of Eastham, for which, in the next
century, twice as much rent was paid as for the
Townsend Mill." 8 In 1375 it was leased to William
son of Adam de Liverpool, the most important burgess
of the period. 119 The lessors were Richard Nunn, the
parson, and John Heathorn, who may have acted on be-
half of the burgess body. The Townsend Mill, and per-
haps the horse-mill, may have been held by the Moore
family, who held them both at a later date ; Sir Edward
Moore, in the I /th century, claimed that his ancestors
had built the Townsend Mill. 130 Thus the mills of
the borough were probably in the hands of its two
chief families.
It would be possible to give, from the Moore and
Crosse deeds, the assessments for subsidies, and the
burgess roll of 1346, an account of a number of
principal families in the town. Some of these were
branches of important county families, or landholders
in neighbouring townships. Such were the Waltons,
lords of the manor of Walton, who held the serjeanty
111 Duchy of Lane. Mins. Accts. bdle.
103, no. 1821.
"1* Harl. MSS. 2101, fol. 208.
118 Pat. ii Edw. II, pt. i, m. 14.
"'Chester Pleas, 27 Edw. III.
114 Moore D. 280 (20), 297 (38), 309
(50), &c.
115 The pavage grants give long lists of
commodities upon which dues may be
charged, but in all probability these were
conventional lists, and cannot be taken as
representing the actual commodities dealt
in. " 6 Close, 40 Edw. Ill, m. 22.
"7 Picton, Munic. Rec. i, 77. " 8 Ibid.
"'Duchy of Lane. Assize R. no. 2. pt.
2, m. 4 d. lao Picton, Munic. Rec. i, 74.
121 Lane. Ct. R. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and
Ches. xli), 77.
laa Bennett and Elton, op. cit. iv,
125-210.
128 Duchy of Lane. Mins. Accts. bdle.
1094, no. ii.
124 Inq. p.m. 25 Edw. I, no. 51.
185 L.T.R. Enr. Accts. loc. cit.
138 Duchy of Lane. Accti. various, bdle.
32, no. 17.
la / Everton, e.g. which had no mill of
its own.
198 Duchy of Lane. Mins. Accts. bdle.
101, no. 1800.
129 Moore D. no. 450.
" Moore Rental (ed. W. F. Irvine),
63 ff. 87.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
WALTON or Walton.
Sable three swans ar-
gent.
of the wapentake of West Derby," 1 and provided at
least one constable for the Castle of Liverpool ; 1M in
1 346 Richard de Walton held four burgages in Liver-
pool; 133 or the Fazakerleys, or the Irelands of Hale, or
the Booties of Kirkdale, or
the hereditary reeves of West
Derby, all of whom held lands
in Liverpool. Among the
more purely burghal families
something might be said of
the Barons, the Corvesors, the
Longwros, the Mariotsons, the
Tippups. But two families
stand out in such marked pro-
minence as to deserve special
mention. The first of these
was the family of Liverpool,
which from the mere fact
that it habitually used the place-name as its sur-
name may be supposed to have been settled in the
borough from a very early date. In 1346 the
various members of the family seem to hold among
them something like fifteen burgages, 134 and the
Moore and Crosse deeds show them making constant
ac ]uisitions. The earliest notice of a member of this
family, Richard de Liverpool, occurs between 1212
and I226; 135 and it may be his son, or grandson,
who, as Adam son of Richard, is recorded as one of the
first Liverpool members of Parliament. From the
beginning of the 1 4th century their genealogy can be
traced in detail. 186 Adam de Liverpool, who in 1346
held five and five- eighths burgages, had in 1332 paid a
larger sum towards the subsidy on goods than any
other person in Liverpool ; 137
and he was one of the jurors
in the Inquisition into the
earl's lands in 1346. His
father, his uncle, his brother,
and his nephews, each in their
generation appear in more or
less prominent positions. But
the most distinguished member
of the family was William son
of Adam, whose will has been
already referred to. He lived
through the period of the re-
vival of burghal liberties, dying
in 1383, and he played a principal part in securing this
remarkable advance. He was the first recorded mayor
of Liverpool in 1351, and though the list of mayors is
JL
LIVFRPOOL. Quarterly
gules and or a cross
formy argent.
far from complete, he is known to have held the
office eleven times. 138 As mayor he received, and
probably took a large part in obtaining, the writ for the
erection of the chapel of St. Nicholas in 13 56."' In
1357 he is named first among the lessees of the great
lease of the farm of the borough which forms so remark-
able a landmark in the history of burghal liberties. 140 In
1361 he was rewarded by Duke Henry, for * the good
and free service' which he had done, by the grant of
a pension of zos. for life from the profits of a West
Derby manor. 1 " We have already seen him a tenant
of the principal mill of Liverpool. In addition he
owned a bakery in Castle Street, 141 and seems to have
controlled a fishery, probably leasing from the duke
the weir which he had erected near Toxteth Park. 148
In short, he is at once the wealthiest and the most
public-spirited Liverpool burgess of his day. 144
William de Liverpool left two sons, by different
wives, both named John, one of whom founded the
chantry of St. John in the Liverpool Chapel, 145 perhaps
in memory of his father ; but his lands and his mill
presently passed into the hands of Richard de
Crosse, a son of his wife by another marriage. 146 With
him begins the connexion with Liverpool of the Crosse
family, who are to play an exceedingly prominent part
in the affairs of the borough during the next century. 147
The other branches of the Liverpool family seem to
have adopted various surnames, especially William-
son 14S and Richardson, and to have become indistin-
guishably merged in the mass of burgesses.
The other principal Liverpool family of whom
mention must be made was
that of the Moores, for whom
their descendant Sir Edward
Moore claims that they were
established in Liverpool from
the earliest date. 149 This claim
is probably not without justi-
fication if, as seems likely,
they took their name 15 from
the moorish piece of ground
which lay to the north of
the upper end of the Pool,
at the end of Moor Street
or Tithebarn Street ; and we
may regard them as the rivals of the Liverpool
family throughout the first three centuries of the
borough's history. Their seat, More Hall, lay at
the northern end of the house-covered area, and
its gardens ran down to the estuary. When in
MOORE 01 ivl o r e
Hall. Argent three
greyhounds courant In
pale sable collared or.
181 See V.C.H. Lanes, iii, 3.
811 Lane. Exch. R. 20 Edw. I.
138 Extent of 1 346 already quoted.
134 From the burgess roll appended to
the Extent of 1 346. But owing to the
dropping of the surname, it is not possible
to be certain in the allocation of their
lands.
m Margaret, relict of Adam de Garston,
married Richard de Liverpool between
1 21 2 and 1226 ; Lanes. Inq. and Extents
(Rec. Soc,), i, 128 ; Whalley Coucher,
579-
86 Mr. Elton has given an account of
some of the principal members of the
family in his paper on William the ton
of Adam,' Trans. Hist. Soc. (new sen) xix-
" 133-
"7 Exch. Lay Subsidies.
188 Elton, 'Early Recorded Mayors of
Liv.' Trans. Hut. Soc. (new ser.), xviii.
189 Pat. 29 Edw. Ill ; see Okill, iv, 415.
140 Duchy of Lane. Chan. R. no. 2.
141 Close R. of Duke Henry, 52.
142 Moore D. no. 257.
148 Ibid. ' Quoddam gurgitum vocatum
le ffisheyard juxta parcum de Toxtath'
is mentioned in the Extent of 1346 (but
in no other document) as yielding 6r. per
annum.
144 His will contains one of the few
personal notes surviving from the me-
diaeval period. ' I bequeath my soul to
God and the blessed Virgin and all saints
and my body to be buried in the Chapel of
Liverpool before the face of the image of
the Virgin, where is my appointed place of
burial. I leave to be distributed in bread
on the day of my burial three quarters of
wheat. I leave six pounds of wax to be
used about my body. I leave to every
priest in the chapel of Liverpool fourpence.
IO
I leave the rest of my goods to Katherine
my wife and our children born of her* ;
Crosse D. no. 77.
143 Raines, Lanes. Chantries (Chet. Soc.
lix), 82.
146 Add. MS. 32105, GG. 2301, 2840.
147 Perhaps their mansion of Crosse
Hall, with its croft sloping down to the
Pool near the town's end on the south side
of Dale Street, may represent the original
home of William son of Adam.
148 In 1668 Sir E. Moore writes of
Richard Williamson and his relations.
4 There is a great faction of them . . .
They have always been enemies of me and
all yourpredecessors time out of the memory
of man' ; Moore Rental (ed. W. F. Irvine),
58 and note.
149 Moore Rental (ed. W. F. Irvine), 8,
in.
150 Moore D. 377 (120) et passim.
WEST DERBY HUNDRED
LIVERPOOL
the 1 5th century they acquired a large amount of
land in Kirkdale, 151 and built a new mansion, Bank
Hall, there, the More Hall came to be called the
Old Hall ; and has given its name to a modern street.
They appear in prominent parts in the borough
affairs, contemporary with the Liverpools. In 1 246
Ranulf de More appears as reeve of Liverpool, 15 * and
in 1292 John de la Mor, along with Richard de
Liverpool, represented the burgesses at the Quo
Warranto plea already referred to. 153 Down to the
middle of the 1 4th century they are frequently found
acting as bailiffs. 154 The younger members of the
family seem often to have acted as clerks, and in that
capacity to have written and preserved many deeds of
land-transfer ; 155 hence the archives of the family
included numerous deeds not relating to their own
lands. In 1346 the holdings of the family in Liver-
pool included sixteen and one-eighth burgages, 156 so
that they slightly surpassed the Liverpools. In 1348
it was John del Mor who held, probably on behalf of
the burgesses, the farm of the tolls, market, and mills. 157
But after that date the leadership of the borough seems
to have been wrested from them by the Liverpools.
While William son of Adam held the mayoralty at
least eleven times, and his intimate friend and ally,
Richard de Aynsargh, nine times, the name of Moore
is conspicuously absent from the roll of mayors until
1 38 2, 1M when William de Liverpool had practically
retired. Thereafter the Moores in their turn have
almost a monopoly of the mayoralty. 159 There seems
here to be indicated a keen rivalry between these two
leading houses, which would doubtless be accentuated
if, as has been suggested above, both were rival millers.
This rivalry found vent in the law courts when in
1374 Thomas del More sued William de Liverpool
for having dispossessed him of the Castle Street bakery,
the fishery and some turbary. 160 The matter was
compromised by William's remaining in possession,
but paying More an annual rent of 3*. These are
the dim echoes of what was probably a pretty lively
feud.
Outside of the liberties of the borough, but con-
stantly affecting its fortunes, was the castle. It was
ruled by a constable, receiving an annual salary of
6 6s. %d. ; 1S1 the constable was generally, if not
always, also keeper of Toxteth Park, and sometimes
also of Croxteth and Simonswood Parks, 163 for which
he received a further salary of 2. The connexion
of Toxteth Park in particular with Liverpool was so
intimate that in the next century the Crown found it
necessary to make a special statement in the farm
leases reserving it from the farm. 163 The names of
several constables survive ; 16< the office at this period
being not yet hereditary, as it became in the next
century. The constable did not usually reside in the
castle, but in a house just outside of its gate. 165 In
normal times there was no standing garrison in the
castle, and the permanent paid staff seems to have con-
sisted of a watchman and a doorkeeper, each of whom was
paid I \d. per diem. 166 There were, however, several
houses within the castle, 167 where there may have been
permanent rent-paying residents, though they may
have been reserved for the use of the officers of the
forces, which constantly passed through the town. A
detailed list of the castle plenishment survives ; 16S it
includes 186 pallets, 107 spears, 39 lances, 15
bal/istae, ^ engines, 7 ' acketouns, old and weak,' I
large vat for brewing, and a considerable amount of
domestic furniture.
The 1 5th century, for many English trading
ports a period of advance, was for Liverpool a period
of retrogression in population, prosperity, and politi-
cal freedom. The process of decay does not perhaps
become evident until the reign of Henry VI ; but
already, before that date, the causes which were to
contribute to it were making their appearance :
namely, the weakness of the Crown, and the turbulence
of the uncontrolled nobility. In I4o6 169 Sir John
Stanley obtained licence to fortify a house in Liver-
pool. This was the Tower, at the bottom of Water
Street, which remained in the possession of the house
of Stanley until the Commonwealth. This is the first
appearance in the borough of a family which from that
time onward was to play a mightily important part in its
history. The reason for it was that, having acquired
the Isle of Man as a result of the forfeiture of the
Percies after the battle of Shrewsbury, Stanley needed
a base for communications with his new dominion.
The Tower seems to have been, at any rate occasionally,
used as a residence by the family ; it was frequently
occupied by troops. Thus the town was burdened
by the presence of a second feudal fortress, only a
bowshot from the original castle.
By the accession of Henry IV, which united the
duchy of Lancaster to the Crown, Liverpool again
came under direct royal control. It might have been
expected that this would redound to the advantage of
the borough, but the reverse was the case. The lease of
the farm of the borough of 1393 was, it is true, con-
firmed by Henry IV ; 17 but only for the remainder of
its term, which expired in 1410. Immediately on its
expiration serious trouble began. From an interesting
memorandum inscribed on the back of the confirma-
tion 171 it appears that the burgesses had resolved to
apply not only for a renewal, but also for a supple-
mentary charter, conveying to them new powers, in
particular the right to hold courts under the Statute
of Merchants and the right to make arrests for debt.
Henry V did actually grant a charter 171 in the first
year of his reign, probably as a result of this applica-
tion ; but it was merely a confirmation of the previous
charters, and its sole advantage was that by disregard-
ing the charter of Richard II it restored to the bur-
gess body the right of prohibiting non-members of
the gild to trade in the town. But it was over the
renewal of the lease that the chief difficulties arose.
151 See under Bootle and Kirkdale for
the lands of the Moores outside of
Liverpool.
152 Assize R. 1404, m. 16.
lss Plac. de Quo War. (Rec. Com.), 381.
154 Moore D. fatsim. lss Ibid.
168 Extent of 1 346, loc. cit.
1J 7 Duchy of Lane. Accts. various, bdle.
32, no. 17.
158 Elton, loc. cit. ; Moore D. 255.
1S Ibid. Thomas del More held the
mayoralty at least 16 times more often
than any other Liverpool man has ever
done.
160 Moore D. 190, 230, 231, 257.
161 e.g. Harl. Cod. 433, fol. 317*.
162 e.g. Reg. Due. Lane. 46 Edw. Ill,
fol. 50, 232 ; 14 Hen. IV, fol. 29.
168 Duchy of Lane. Mins. Accts. bdle.
117, no. 1934.
164 A partial list is given in Gregson's
Fragments.
II
185 Moore D. 452 (169*7).
188 L.T.R. Enr. Accts. Misc. 14, m.
77-
W Duchy of Lane. Book of Orders, &c.
Edw. IV, 140.
16 L.T.R. Enr. Accts. loc. cit.
169 Pat. 7 Hen. IV, pt. ii, m. 14.
1 7 Hist. Munic. Go-vt. in Liv. 308.
1 ^ 1 Original lost ; printed in Gregson's
Fragments, 352 ; Hist. M unic. Go-vt. in Li-v.
309. VS Ibid. 1 6 1.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
being forgotten on both sides. This was the control
of the waste, which from this time remained burghal
It appears from the memorandum already referred to
that the mayor and leading burgesses had to face
opposition on the part of a section of the inhabitants property.
described as ' those that hold of the king in Liverpool/ Itjs not known what was the^ result of the petition
and, in order to frighten these recusants into line,
hought of obtaining a privy seal ordering them all to
appear before the king's council in London, unless
they came to an agreement with the mayor. * Those
that held land of the king ' can only have been the
tenants in the recent inclosure in Salthouse Moor. It
has already been suggested that these tenants had been
separately governed up till 1393, when the great lease
put them under the control of the burgess body. If
they had been since that date forced to pay 'scot
and lot,' to bear their share of burgess burdens without
being admitted to burgess privileges, it is easy to
understand why they should object to a renewal of
the lease, and should prefer to return to the state of
things before 1393. It is probably due to their
opposition that the lease was not renewed in all its
amplitude. No lease at all, indeed, survives for the
period 1411-21. But such evidence as exists goes to
show that the burgesses obtained a partial farm con-
sisting of the market tolls, ferry and burgage-rents ; the
perquisites of courts and the mills, together with other
miscellaneous rights, being reserved by the Crown and
administered by royal agents, who now reappeared in
the borough for the first time since 1393, or perhaps
since 1357. The rent paid by the burgesses seems
to have been 22 17*. 6J."*
But trouble at once resulted from this arrangement.
In 1 41 3 m the royal agents do not appear to have
been able to collect any money at all ; and in the
following years they got only 2$ to 26, including
the burgesses' payments, in place of the ^38 paid
under the old lease. There is no entry at all in their
accounts for perquisites of courts ; the only moneys
they were able to get over and above the ' rent and
farms' which represent the burgesses' payment was
a payment for mills, generally largely swallowed
up in repairs. The explanation of this curious state
of affairs is to be found in an interesting petition sent
by the burgesses to the House of Commons in 141 5,'"
in which they ask for protection against the ' officers
and servants ' of the king, who, * since the confirmation
(of 1413) and not before . . . have come, usurped
and held certain courts ' in the borough, in defiance
of the terms of all the burghal charters, and of the
king's own confirmation. By right of the grant of
sac and soc contained in these charters, the burgesses
claimed to ' have at all times had and continued a
court ' and to ' have taken and received the perquisites
of the said court with all the profits belonging
thereto.' The assertion that the king had no claim
to the profits of burghal justice is directly contra-
dicted by the whole preceding history of the borough :
it was only since 1357 that the burgesses had taken
these profits, and then only in virtue of a special
grant in the lease. But the episode is a striking
illustration of the difficulty of regaining rights
once conveyed by lease. One right included in the
lease of 1393 was not even claimed by the Crown,
to Parliament, which was referred to the king's
council. But the burgesses continued to resist the
royal agents, and to hold the courts themselves ; and
apparently they also quarrelled with the Crown over
some question of tolls possibly customs duties such
as the prisage on wine, which in later leases the Crown
is careful to define as not being covered by the lease.
At length in 1420"" the steward of West Derby
Hundred was ordered to summon all the mayors and
bailiffs of Liverpool for the preceding seven years to
appear before the Exchequer Court of the duchy at
Lancaster ' to render us account for the time they
have held our courts at Liverpool . . . and for the
tolls and other profits levied by them in the mean-
time.' This summons, however, had no better result.
In the next year (1421) Henry V found it necessary
to grant a lease '" of the whole farm, without limita-
tion, for a year, pending an inquiry into the terms on
which it ought to be held. The rent paid was 23 ;
that is, 2s. 6d. more than the burgesses had been
paying for their partial farm, and 15 less than they
had paid up till 1410. Before this inquiry could be
completed Henry V had died, and during the
minority of his son it was npt to be expected that
rights would be enforced which the vigorous father
had failed to defend. The burgesses continued to
hold a lease, at the slightly increased figure of
23 6s. 8</., until I449- 178 Thus the conflict with
the Crown had ended in a burghal victory ; the bur-
gesses were left in possession of several royal rights,
above all the control of the waste and the supre-
macy of the Borough Court over all the inhabi-
tants.
In the meanwhile, however, the disorder and tur-
bulence of the district had been increasing. In 1424
a violent feud broke out between Thomas Stanley
and Sir Richard Molyneux. 179 Ralph RadclifFe and
James Holt, justices of the peace for Lancashire, were
sent by the sheriff" to keep order. They found Stanley
entrenched in his father's tower in Liverpool, with
about 2,000 men, waiting for the attack of Sir Richard
Molyneux, who was advancing from West Derby with
1 ,000 men or more in battle array. The two pro-
tagonists were both arrested by the sheriff, and forced
to withdraw, Stanley to Kenilworth, and Molyneux
to Windsor. Record of this episode, which nearly
made the streets of the borough the scene of a pitched
battle, survives because the period of full anarchy was
not yet begun. The episodes of the age of the war
are left unrecorded. 180
In February 1421-2 Sir Richard Molyneux ob-
tained a grant of the constableship of Liverpool
Castle, together with the stewardship of West Derby
and Salford, and the forestership of Toxteth, Crox-
teth, and Simonswood. 181 In 1440-1 the offices
were renewed for the lives of Sir Richard and his
son, and five years later they were made hereditary. 181
In 1442 the castle was further fortified by the erection
1 ' 8 Duchy of Lane. Min. Accts. bdle.
731, no. 1202 id; Hist. Munic. Govt. in
Li-v. 56 n. 4, and 58 n. I.
^Mins. Accti. B 731, 12017, 1*019*,
12027.
" s Rot. Par/, iv, 55 ; Hitt. Munic. Govt.
in Li-v, 399.
176 Duchy of Lane. Misc. vol. 17, fol.
87.
17 " Ibid. fol. loo.
V* Ming. Accts. bdles. 117, 732, 733 ;
Hist. Munic. Go-vt. in Liv. 112, 717.
Dods. MSS. 87, 89.
180 The outrage at Bewsey in 1437 in
12
which the leader, Pooie, is described as a
Liverpool man, it another significant
episode.
181 Reg. Due. Lane. Bk. 17, fol.
75-
183 Ibid. ; Com. Hen. VI, fol. 57*;
Okill Transcripts, iv, 275.
WEST DERBY HUNDRED
LIVERPOOL
of the south-east tower. 183 The cost of the addition
was 46 1 3*. i oj</. The stone was obtained from
Toxteth Park, the wood from the royal forest, now
controllel by Molyneux, and the money from the
Dachy Exchequer. Throughout the period the
expenditure in repairs of the castle was large and
constant. 184 The effect of the establishment of the
Stanleys in the tower, and of the Molyneuxes in the
castle, was to leave the borough very much at the
mercy of the two great noble houses entrenched
MOLYNEUX. Asairt
a crust moline or.
STANLEY. Argent
on a bend azure three
harts' heads cabossed or.
in their midst, especially at a period when the
Crown was perfectly incapable of maintaining order.
Simultaneously, the prosperity of the borough steadily
diminished, 184 and it was not till the beginning of the
1 7th century that it again stood on the level to
which it had attained at the beginning of the i$th,
either in population or in trade.
The decay is most strikingly demonstrated in the
history of the lease. The last of the continuous
series of burgess leases which followed the quarrel
with the Crown expired in 1449, and apparently
the burgesses found themselves
unable to offer to continue
it. A royal agent, Edmund
Crosse, 186 of the local family
already noticed, appears ; but
could only collect a little less
than 19 in 1450, and
15 14*. in 1452, as com-
pared with even the reduced
rent of 23 6s. %d. long paid
by the burgesses. The most
striking decline is in the
market-tolls, which in 1450
yield only 2, though in
1327 they had yielded 10, and in 1346 much
more. The failure of Crosse to produce increased
revenues enabled the burgesses to get a new farm
in I454 187 at the low rent of ij 6s. 8</., but they
were 5/. in arrears on the first year, though they
had never been in arrears when they had to pay 38.
In 1461 Edmund Crosse again rendered account 188 :
the town was at farm, whether held by himself or
by the burgess body it is not possible to say. But
it was a * new farm, ' and the rent was only 14. Dur-
CROSSE. Quarterly
gules and or a cross po-
tent argent in the jirit
and fourth quarters.
ing the period of this lease the Crown, disregarding its
terms, made a special grant of one of the mills 189 and
of one of the two ferry-rights, 190 apparently with the
desire of increasing the yield. The burgesses held a
lease at 14 from 1466 to 1471 ; but for the last two
years of the period no account was rendered. The
civil war had broken out afresh after Warwick's insur-
rection, and the burgesses were either suffering from
its effects, or seized the opportunity to withhold pay-
ment. When Edward IV was again safely established
on his throne, he did his best to exact arrears for these
two years ; but never succeeded in getting from the
poverty-stricken burgesses more than 9 of the ^28
due from them. 191 He did not renew their tenure,
but granted a lease, this time unquestionably a per-
sonal lease, to Edmund Crosse (1472) at ,14 2J. 191
The burgesses never regained the lease. But even
Crosse was unable to pay so modest a figure. Three
years Iater(i475) his son, on having the lease renewed, 193
got the extra ^s. knocked off again, and obtained also a
concession of the two rural mills of Ackers and Waver-
tree, in addition to the burghal mills. But this was
not enough. In the next year (1476) he obtained a
revised lease, 194 by which the rent was reduced to 1 1 .
This represents probably the lowest ebb of Liverpool
prosperity. When, in 1488, the lease passed out of
the hands of the Crosses and was granted to David
Griffith, 195 the rent was raised to .14; this was in-
creased to 14 6s. %d. in I528, 196 and at that figure
it remained. Evidence is lacking as to the trade of
the port during this period ; but its absence is in itself
significant. And indeed it is needless to ask for more
striking evidence of the decay of the borough than that
afforded by the leases of the farm. At the same time
the very misery of the place, removing it from all
envy, saved to it some valuable privileges. 197 The
control of the burgess body over the waste, their right
to conduct their own courts, and the extension of their
governmental authority over the non-burgess inhabi-
tants, should probably be regarded as having been estab-
lished by usage in this period of helplessness and poverty.
It is with the Tudor period that the material for
Liverpool history begins to be abundant. To the
regular records of the borough, which begin in 1555,
there is prefixed a collection of ' elder precedences,'
some of them dating from 1525; and in addition,
the national or duchy muniments provide ampler
material than before. But the reign of Henry VII,
the period of transition, is still very scantily supplied.
Substantially all that is known of this period is that
in 1488 Henry VII gave a lease of the farm to
David Griffith, 198 in whose family it remained till
I537 199 at the increased rent of ^14 ; that in 1492
he empowered Thomas Fazakerley 20 to form a fishing
station on the shore of the waste, between Toxteth
Park and the Pool ; that in 1498 the burgesses were
summoned to a Quo Warranto plea which does not
seem to have been heard ; and that in 1486 he made
to one Richard Cook m a grant of ferry at 3 per
183 Okill Transcripts, iv, zo8 ; Cox,
4 Liv. Castle,' Trans. Hist. Soc. (new ser.)
vi, 195 ff.
184 Okill, iv, 208, has summarized these
expenditures from the Mins. Accts.
184 A like decline is observable in the
prosperity of Preston at this period,
though the circumstances, apart from the
weakness of the Crown and the distress
caused by the war, were different from
those of Liverpool.
is Duchy of Lanes. Mins. Accts. bdle.
101, no. 1800; 117, no. 1941.
18 'Ibid. 101, no. 1804.
188 Ibid. 102, no. 1820.
189 Duchy of Lane. Chan. R. 3 Edw. IV,
no. 54 ; Hist. Munic. Govt. in Lii>. 318.
190 Chan. R. 8 ; Hist. Munic. Go-vt. 319.
191 Duchy of Lane. Mins. Accts. bdle.
1 02, no. 1818.
193 Duchy of Lane. Chan. R. no. 55 ;
Hist. Munic. Govt. 321.
'3
198 Chan. R. 55 } Hist. Munic. Govt. 324.
194 Chan. R. 57; Hist. Munic. Go-vt. 325.
194 Duchy of Lane. Misc. no. 21.
196 Croxteth Mun. (Liv. box 10, R 2,
no. 2).
19 ? On this see Hist. Munic. Govt. 62-6.
198 Hist. Munic. Go-vt. 328.
199 Ibid. 329, 330, 331.
200 Duchy of Lane. Reg. Bk.
801 Hist. Munic. Go-vt. 401.
202 Ibid. 327.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
annum, and for icven years, in place of a grant for life
and without rent, which had been made two years
before by Richard III.* 03
In the first half of the 1 6th century Liverpool
seems to have begun slowly to emerge from the
profound depression of the previous period, though
even in the second half she is still described as a
' decayed town.' Perhaps the revival was partly due
to the renewed use of the port, under Henry VIII,
for transport to Ireland. Skeffington's army in 1534
shipped from Chester and Liverpool ; 1M and a
memorial of 1537 for the instruction of the king
states that the army in Ireland ' must be vitelid with
bere, biskett, flowre, butter, chease, and fleshe out of
Chestre, Lirpole, Northwales and Southwales and
Bristow.' wi Some of the bullion required by the Irish
army was also exported through Liverpool.* 06 Probably
the Irish trade of the port revived as a consequence.
Leland, in a brief note on Liverpool, 107 says that
' Irish merchants come much thither, as to a good
haven ... At Liverpool is small custom paid that
causeth merchants to resort. Good merchandize at
Liverpool ; and much Irish yarn, that Manchester
men do buy there.' Thus already Liverpool was
importing raw material for the nascent industries of
Lancashire, and exporting the finished product. 80 * We
hear of one Liverpool merchant* 09 trading with
Drogheda, who in 1538 had for sale 1 2 Ib. of London
silks, and 1 2 pieces of kerseys, white, green and blue ;
three of the latter sold for 15 izs. But the trade
of the reviving port extended beyond home waters.
Edmund Gee of Chester and Liverpool, who is
spoken of as the 'chief man and head merchant' of
Liverpool, 110 persuaded a Spaniard, Lope de Rivera,
to import into Liverpool large quantities of wine ; * u
in 1 5 34 the deputy- butler for Lancashire complains
that William Collinges has imported 1 8 tuns of wine
into Liverpool without paying prisage ; "* while in
1545 we hear of a Biscayan ship 'stayed at Liver-
poole.' m When the embitterment of the Reforma-
tion struggle led English traders to prey upon
Spanish ships, Liverpool sailors seem to have taken
some part in these piratical adventures : in 1555
Inigo de Baldram, a Spaniard, complained to the
Privy Council that he had been robbed by 'pirates
of Lierpole and Chester.' * u But the Spanish trade
can only have been of the smallest proportions ; even
that with Ireland, the staple of Liverpool traffic, was
humble enough.
Within the borough a modest development can be
traced. In 1516 Oldhall Street was, by agreement
with William Moore of the Oldhall, made an open
road to the fields.* 15 From 1524 a deed survives* 16
in which the burgesses granted to Sir William
Molyneux at a rental of 6s. a few roods of waste land
beside the Moor Green, for the erection of a tithe-
barn to hold the tithes of Walton Church, which
belonged to the Molyneux family. Moor Street now
becomes Tithebarn Street. The importance of this
deed is that it shows the burgesses acting as owners of
the waste ; and this is still more clearly exhibited
in a borough rental of 1523,"' prefixed to the
Municipal Records, in which eight tenants pay
among them js. ^d. for patches of common. A
rental of the king's lands in Liverpool * 18 dating from
1539 yields further interesting particulars. The
total value was 10 is. ^d. t which was, of course,
included in the lease of the farm. It is significant that
only 3f burgages are enumerated ; which appears
to indicate that the burgage as a distinctive holding
was passing out of use. Twenty-six burgages were
included among the endowments of the four chantries
in I546.* 19
The early years of the century saw the establish-
ment of the last of the chantries, that of the priest John
Crosse, who provided that the chaplain should also
teach a school.* 20 His will contains also a bequest to
the ' mayor and his brethren with the burgesses ' of
the * new [house] called our Ladie house to kepe their
courtes and such busynes as they shall thynke most
expedient.' Thus by one act the borough became
possessed of a school and a town hall.
The period, however, witnessed a number of dis-
putes between the burgesses and the Crown or the
lessees of the farm. In 1514 (David Griffith with
his wife and son being then the lessees) * 21 a com-
mission *** was appointed by the Crown ' on the be-
half of our farmer of our toll within our said town
of Liverpool ' to inquire whether ' the Mayor and
Burgesses . . . for their own singular lucre and
advantage now of late have made many and divers
foreign men not resident nor abiding in the said
town to be burgesses of the same town to the intent
to defraud us and our right of toll there.' The result
of this inquiry (which was probably due to dissatis-
faction with the yield of the farm) is not known.
But it shows the burgesses trying to recoup them-
selves for the loss of the farm by taking payments
for the admission of non-burgesses to that exemption
from dues which was their chartered privilege. In
I528* 2S another commission was appointed to
' survey search and examine the concealments and
subtraction of all and every such tolls customs and
forfeitures as to us rightfully should belong ... of any
goods . . . conveyed to or from our port of Liver-
pool.' In the next year a new cause of quarrel
appears. Thirteen men had been working a ferry
from Liverpool to Runcorn. This ferry-right the
lessee, Henry Ackers, claimed to be covered by the
farm ; and as a result of his complaint to the Crown, the
mayor was ordered m to put an end to this illegal
ferry. The order seems to have been neglected, for
908 Hist. Muntc. Go-vt. 326. As a ferry-
right was also included in the farm
lease, this grant is only explicable on the
assumption that there were two ferries.
The probability ie that Cook's ferry plied
between Liverpool and Runcorn.
"> State Papers, Hen. VIII, ii, 205.
* Ibid, ii, 4 !5.
908 Acts of P.O. 1552-4, p. 104.
807 Leland, Itin. vii, fol. 50, 44.
**See Duchy Plead, v, m. 2 (19
Hen. VIII).
* Duchy Plead. (Rec. Soc. Lane*,
and Ches. xxxv), ii, 119.
910 In the judgement in the case of
Molyneux v. Corporation of Liv. ; Hist.
Munic. GO-HI. 411.
211 Duchy Plead, ix, c. 10, p. 47.
212 Duchy Plead. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and
Ches. xxxv), ii, 50.
918 Acts of P.O. 1542-7, p. 248.
814 Ibid. 1554-6, p. 236.
a6 Okill Transcripts, xiv, 118.
814 In the Municipal archives.
V Munic. Rec. i, 5.
818 Printed in Gregson, Fragment*, App.
Lxv
219 Raines, Lanes. Chant. (Chet. Soc.
lix), 82-93.
220 Duchy of Lane. Depositions, P.
& M. v, m. 3 ; Inventories of CA. Gds.
(Chet. Soc. cxiii), 97-8.
821 Duchy of Lane. Misc. zi ; Hist.
Munic. Go-vt. in Li-v. 329.
222 Duchy of Lane. Misc. 95, 366 ;
Hist. Munic. Go-vt. in Li-v. 402.
828 Duchy of Lane. Misc. 22 ; Hist.
Munic. Go-vt, in Li-v. 403.
224 Duchy of Lane. Misc. 95, fol. 104 b ;
Hist. Munic. Govt. in Liv. 403.
ii mi mi
LIVERPOOL : OLD TITHE BARN
{From a Water-colour Drawing, c. 1800)
LIVERPOOL : ST. JOHN'S LANE, 1865
WEST DERBY HUNDRED
in the next year Ackers petitioned the Chancellor of
the Duchy for redress. 225 The dispute was settled
by the lessee granting a sub-lease 226 to the burgess
body, whereby they undertook to collect all the
customs, tolls, and ferry-dues, and pay half of the total
proceeds and 10. The royal rents of jio and
the mills (separately leased at 5O/.) 227 were excluded
from this sub-lease ; and as the sub-lease must have
yielded to the lessor at least .20, his income from
the town must have amounted to over 32, yielding
him a handsome profit after he had paid his 1 4 6s. %d.
to the Crown. Incidentally these figures show that
the town was regaining much of its prosperity, and
approximating to the conditions of 1394, when the
rent was 38 ; though it should be remembered
that the value of money had in the meantime
materially declined.
Of the effects of the first stages of the Reformation
there is little to record. The only monastic property
connected with the borough
was the house and barn in
Water Street and the ferry-
right over the Mersey, which
belonged to the Priors of Bir-
kenhead, and passed with the
manor of Birkenhead to Ralph
Worsley. But the later con-
fiscation of the chantries affect-
ed Liverpool deeply. There
were now four chantries in the
chapel of St. Nicholas ; their
lands in 1546 had been worth
21 us. 3//., 228 paying in
chief rents to the king I o/. 3</. 22 *
The lands of two of these chantries those of the
High Altar and of St. John were sold, though the
priests attached to them seem to have remained resi-
dent in the town. 230 Among the purchasers 2S1 were
many of the burgesses of Liverpool, who were thus to
some extent committed to support of the Reformation.
The lands of the chantries of St. Nicholas and St.
Katherine remained in the hands of the Crown, and
their revenues were respectively devoted to the main-
tenance of a priest for the Liverpool chapel and of a
schoolmaster for the parish of Walton, 232 the pre-sup-
pression chantry priests remaining to perform these
functions. 233 In 1565 the administration of these lands
seems to have been transferred from the Duchy officers
to the mayor and burgesses, 234 who added further
revenues raised among themselves, 234 and henceforth
controlled the appointment both of the priest and of
the schoolmaster of the town.
Difference of opinion on the religious question may
WORSLEY. Argent a
cheveron sable between
three falcons of the last
beaked legged and belled
LIVERPOOL
have helped to precipitate a serious quarrel between
the borough and the lessee of the farm. This had
been since 1537 in the hands of Sir William Moly-
neux 236 and his son Sir Richard, who however had
continued the arrangement of their predecessors
whereby the burgesses administered the various powers
and collected the dues, 237 retaining half of them on
payment of .10 per annum. In 1552 a mysterious
lease was issued by Edward VI to one James Bedyll. 238
It never took effect, but it may have been intended as
an attack by the Protestant court upon the Roman
Catholic Molyneuxes. If we suppose the burgesses
to have been concerned in obtaining this lease, the
quarrel with Molyneux which broke out immediately
on the accession of Mary is easier to understand. Moly-
neux obtained a renewal 2S9 of his lease, though his
previous lease was still unexpired, and, the sub-lease
to the burgesses having expired, 2 " he put in his own
officers to collect the dues and hold the portmoot.
The burgesses on their side obtained a confirmation
of their charters, 241 though, having apparently over-
looked the charter of Henry V, 242 it was the less favour-
able charter of Richard II of which they obtained a
renewal. They seem to have trusted to this to justify
their claim to collect the dues and hold the portmoot,
which they proceeded to do in spite of the lessee, even
throwing his agents into prison. 243 The question was
tried before the Chancery Court of the Duchy 244
which gave its award on every point in favour of the
lessees, awarding them * all and singular tolls and other
profits in any wise appertaining to the said town,'
whether paid by freemen or by strangers, and also
definitely declaring that the lessee had the right to
* keep courts within the said town . . after such sort
... as the courts . . have been used to be kept,'
and that suit at these courts must be rendered by all
inhabitants. 144 This was a serious blow to the bur-
gesses ; and, while space does not permit of an exam-
ination of the question, it seems clear that the burgesses
were deprived of some rights which justly belonged to
them. 14 ' Two years later, on the intercession of Lord
Strange and the attorney of the Duchy court, the
quarrel was compromised by the renewal to the bur-
gesses of the old sub-lease, which seems to have been
continued throughout the remainder of the cen-
tury. 247
The municipal records from 1555 enable a clear
account to be given of the mode of government to
which the burgesses had now attained. At an as-
sembly of burgesses held on St. Luke's Day,! 8 October,
a mayor and one bailiff were elected, a second bailiff
being nominated by the new mayor at the same
meeting. 248 Other assemblies were held as occasion
225 Duchy of Lane. Judic. Proc., Plead-
ings, iv ; Hist. Munic, Go-vt. in Li-v. 404 ;
Lane. Pleadings (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and
Ches. xxxii), i, 186.
Probably the ferry in dispute was not
the farm-ferry, but a continuance of that
district ferry-right granted by Henry VII
to Richard Cook.
228 Croxteth Mun. Liv. Box 10. R2,
no. 7 ; Hist. Munic. Go-vt. 335.
M 7 Croxteth Mun. loc. cit. no. 3 ; Hist.
Munic. Go-iit. 333.
228 Raines, Lanes. Cbant. (Chet. Soc. ix),
*2-93-
* Rental of Hen. VIII, loc. cit.
230 Munic. Rec. passim.
231 The list of purchasers is printed in
Gregson's Fragments, Ixiv.
233 In the list of official payments of the
Duchy printed in Gregson's Fragments, 3 1,
' the stipend of a clerk to serve in the
chapel at Litherpoole ^4 \js. $d. and the
fee of a clerk and schools mr. of Walton
5 i3'-4^'
283 Munic. Rec. i, 13^ and 390.
231 Ibid. 39.
235 Ibid. 13*.
236 The details of the history of the
farm during this period, and copies of the
leases, will be found in Hist. Munic. Go-vt.
in Liv., 70-7 and 336-53.
23 ' Ibid. 338.
238 Ibid. 345 and 71 n.
*> Ibid. 349.
2:3 The previous sub-lease had been for
15 years.
15
241 Original in Liv. Munic. Arch. Hist,
Munic. Go-vt. 1 64.
942 This appears from their pleading be-
fore the Duchy court, Ibid. 408.
8 "Mun. Rec. i, 17*.
844 Duchy of Lane. Misc., xcv, 104*.
Hist. Munic. Go-vt. 403.
M6 Hist. Munic. Go-vt. 412.
946 For an analysis of this question, see
Hist. Munic. Go-vt. 73-6.
"W Croxteth Mun. Liv., Box 10, no.
13, R. z. Printed in Hist. Munic. Govt.
352. But in 1588 a new quarrel broke
out with Sir R. Molyneux over the
milling soke ; Duchy Plead, cxlvii,
m. 2.
248 Mun. Rec. i, 3*
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
demanded." 9 Attendance was compulsory on all bur-
gesses on penalty of a fine of is. tM The assembly
elected freemen, 1 " and occasionally expelled them
from the liberties. 1 " Distinct from the assembly was
the Portmoot and Great Leet, held twice yearly.
The Great Portmoot immediately followed the annual
assembly, and elected all the minor officers, among
whom may be named the serjeant at mace, two
churchwardens two leve-lookers, two moss-reeves,
four mise-cessors and prysors, two stewards of the
common-hall, a water-bailiff, a hayward, two ale-
testers." 5 The portmoot was the lineal descendant
of the old manorial court, and as such the right to
hold it was claimed by the lessee of the farm. When
this right was exercised, as in 1555, portmoot and
assembly were at war," 4 but normally almost all
business was indifferently transacted at either. At
the portmoot presentments of breaches of burghal
custom were made by a jury of twenty -four or twelve
burgesses impanelled by the bailiffs ; they also * ap-
pointed and set down ' all sorts of orders or by-laws,
indistinguishable in character from those passed by the
assembly of burgesses, and including many affairs not
properly coming within the sphere of a manorial court,
but rather belonging to the sphere of the gild-
merchant.
The mayor exercised supreme control over the
whole executive business of the borough, the bailiffs
and other officers being under his orders. He was
always either a leading merchant, or a country gentle-
man of the neighbourhood. He presided over the
ordinary sessions of the borough court, now called the
mayor's court, which does not seem to have been
claimed by the lessees. With him acted * the Mayor's
Brethren ' or aldermen, who were not popularly
elected, but seem to have consisted of the ex-mayors.
It is clear that this system of government was breaking
down ; and it was to undergo great changes in the
next period.
In the second half of the century it becomes possi-
ble to trace in more detail the movement of popula-
tion and the development of trade. In 1565 there
were 144 names on the burgess rolls, 2 " but some of
these were non-resident, and the number of resident
burgesses was probably about izo. In the same year
the number of householders is given as ijS. 256 In
1572,*" of 159 names in the burgess roll about 130
may have been resident, while in 1589 * 58 there were
190 names on the roll, of whom over 150 were
resident. The number of houses rated for a subsidy
in 1581 was 202. K9 Including therefore resident
burgesses and other non-burgess inhabitants, we may
estimate the population at about 700 or 800 in the
middle of the century, increasing slowly to about
1,000 or 1,200 at its close. In other words, the i6th
century only succeeded in bringing the population
back to the figure it had already attained in 1346.
The explanation of this slow growth is to be found
largely in the ravages of the plague which repeatedly
attacked Liverpool during the period. The visitation
of 1558 was so virulent that the fair was dropped in
that year, no markets were held for three months, and
over 240 persons, or one-fourth of the population,
are said to have died.* 60
The progress of shipping was equally unsatisfactory.
A return of I 5 5 7 Kl shows that there were in the port
one ship of 100 tons and one of 50 tons, 161 together
with seven smaller vessels, while four vessels of
between 10 and 30 tons were at sea ; there were 200
sailors connected with the port. In 1565 16S there
were fifteen vessels, three of which belonged to
Wallasey ; the largest was of 40 tons burthen, and
the number of seamen was about eighty. In 1586 184
sixteen vessels can be counted in the entrances and
clearances for a single month ; probably the list is
not exhaustive. The character of the port's trade
continued unchanged. Manchester, Bolton, and
Blackburn men frequented the market to buy Irish
yarns,* 65 and sell ' Manchester cottons ' (coatings) ; 18S
the outgoing trade was mainly to Ireland, and consisted
of mixed cargoes of coals, woollens, Sheffield knives,
leather goods, and small wares. The return cargoes
from Dublin, Drogheda, and Carlingford were invari-
ably of yarns, hides, and sheep skins or fells. The
foreign trade was of small proportions, and seems
mainly to have been conducted by foreigners. But we
hear of a Lancashire family sending to Liverpool to buy
' 44 quarts of sack, 8 5 quarts of claret, 4 cwt. of iron,
4 lb. of pitch.' K7 French and Spanish ships were
sometimes brought as prizes into Liverpool, but not
by Liverpool captains. 263 Piracy was rampant, and
government had much ado to keep it in check even in
the Irish Sea. 169 There were, it is true, one or two
merchants in Liverpool who traded with Spain ;*"
one of these spent twelve months in a Spanish prison
in 1585-6, and on returning was the first to give
details of the preparation of the Armada. 171 But the
trade with Spain was on so small a scale that when
the monopolist Spanish trading company was estab-
lished in 1578,*" the Liverpool merchants were con-
temptuously excused from submission to its regulations
on the ground that they were only engaged in small
retail trade. Even from the payment of tonnage and
poundage duties Liverpool was exempt until the
reign of Elizabeth, 173 no doubt because the yield
would be so small as not to be worth the cost of
collection.
It was probably for this reason that during the
reign of Elizabeth the central government treated
Liverpool as part of a large customs district which
included the ports of North Wales, and had its centre
at Chester. Orders of various sorts were frequently
transmitted to the Mayor of Liverpool through the
Mayor of Chester ; * 74 in one writ Liverpool and
Chester were treated as a single port, 875 while in
another Liverpool was actually catalogued with Chester
**' Mun. Rec. i, pattim.
**e.g. Ibid, i, izb, ijA.
" Ibid, i, 6a, yb.
Ibid. i, 12*.
** See especially the elections of 1551
and 1558 ; Munic. Rec. i, 34, and 394.
254 Mimic. Rec. i, iza, 13*.
855 Ibid, i, 131*.
* Ibid, i, 32*. M7 Ibid, ii, 21.
M Ibid, ii, 375.
*** Ibid, ii, 210.
*o IbiJ. i, 39..
961 Ibid, i, 320.
363 These may have come from other
ports, as there is no mention of ships of
this size in Liverpool later in the cen-
tury.
Ks Munic. Rec. i, 144.
964 This list of clearances is printed
from the Munic. Rec. by Raines, Liver-
pool, 242 ff.
868 Picton, Munic. Rec. i, 76.
868 Acts of P.C. 1558-70, p. 308;
Picton, Munic. Rec. i, 88.
16
267 Stewards Accts. of the Shuttlewortht
(Chet. Soc. xxxv), 1 8.
M8 Act: of P.C. 1 558-70, pp. 271, 305 }
1580-1, p. 212.
269 Ibid. 1558-70, pp. 278, 288.
270 Picton, Munic. Rec. i, 39.
271 Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. v, App. i,
57 8.
272 Picton, Munic. Rec. i, 44.
278 Munic. Rec. i, 15611.
274 e.g. Acts of P.C. 1580-1, p. 214,
275 Acts of P.C. 1589-90, p. 298.
WEST DERBY HUNDRED
LIVERPOOL
and ' Ilbiye ' as one of the ports of Cheshire." 6 This
was made the basis of a claim on the part of Chester
to superiority over Liverpool. This was not merely
due to the claim of the Mayor of Chester to be vice-
admiral of Lancashire and Cheshire ; nr Chester
claimed that Liverpool was only ' a creek within its
port,' and that all ships entering the Mersey should
pay dues through Chester. This claim, first formally
advanced in i$6$, 176 was, in spite of backing from
London, entirely repudiated by the Liverpool bur-
gesses.* 79 They petitioned the Crown for protection;
and eventually a commission sent down to investigate
reported in Liverpool's favour. 280 When Chester in
1578 made the more limited claim of supremacy over
the Cheshire shore of the Mersey, 181 equal vigour was
shown in repudiation. The question was not settled
during this century ; it reappeared in the early part
of the I 7th century,* 8 ' and was not disposed of till in
1658 283 an award was given in favour of Liverpool by
the Surveyor-General of Customs an award which
was later confirmed by the first Restoration Surveyor-
General in 1 66o.* M
The administrative arrangement which gave to
Chester the pretext for this claim had been dictated
largely by convenience in organizing the transport of
troops to Ireland, which went on with great vigour
throughout the period. In 1573 Essex and part of
his army were transported from Liverpool, 285 and sub-
stantial forces also left the port in 156$ I574,* 87
I579,' 88 I588, 189 1595," and 1596.*" The trans-
port of these troops was not unprofitable ; z/. a head
was allowed for food during the passage/ 91 and the
cost of transport was more than i a head, 193 while
during the stay of the troops in Liverpool, which
lasted sometimes for a long period,* 94 3</. a head was
allowed for each meal, and \d. a day for a horse's
fodder. 294 But the visits of the troops were trouble-
some. Quarters and food had to be compulsorily
provided. Even when they were promptly paid for,
it must have been difficult for a town of less than zoo
houses to provide for large forces ; but the payment
was often long delayed.* 96 Moreover the troops were
often riotous. The town records give a vivid account
of an affray which broke out among Lord Essex' men
in I 5 73, m and which brought out all the burgesses
in battle array on the heath, while in 1581 there was
a formidable mutiny* 98 which was only suppressed
after sharp and exemplary punishment. A third in-
convenience arose from the fact that the shipping of
the port was often withdrawn from trade and detained
for long periods in harbour, waiting for troops which
never came. In 1593 it was only the intercession of
Lord Derby *" for ' the poor masters and owners of
vessels stayed at Liverpool ' which obtained their
release, though no troops were nearly ready.
This was by no means the only occasion on which
Lord Derby came to the aid of the burgesses. He
was almost officially described by Walsingham as the
' patron of the poor town of Liverpool,' so and was
appealed to on every occasion. One of the seats in
Parliament (to which Liverpool had resumed the
right of election in I545), 301 was always reserved for
his nominee ; the other was usually placed at the dis-
posal of the Chancellor of the Duchy, from whom, in
all probability, Francis Bacon received the nomination
which made him member for Liverpool in the session
ofi588-9. so * When in 1562 m the burgesses cele-
brated their reconciliation with Sir Richard Molyneux
by nominating him to the seat usually reserved for the
Chancellor, that official was so angry that he made a
separate return, so that two sets of Liverpool members
appear in the lists for that year, 304 and it was only the
protection of Lord Derby which reassured the town
against his direful threats. Nothing can exceed the
pitiful submissiveness of the burgesses when they have
the misfortune to offend Lord Derby, 305 nor the
lavish enthusiasm with which they welcomed him in
his visits to the town. 306 He was their one protector
against aggressive lessees, greedy rival towns, crushing
monopolist companies or angry chancellors.
It follows from the use they made of their Parlia-
mentary privilege that the burgesses took small interest
in the progress of national affairs. They lit bonfires
on the Queen's birthdays, 307 but the only reflection of
the excitement of 1588 which their records contain
is the note of the erection of one gun on the Nabbe
at the entrance to the Pool. 308 Even the change of
religious opinion is but faintly reflected in the records*
As time went on they became more and more Protes-
tant ; their patron, the fourth Earl of Derby, was one
of the keenest of Protestants by profession, offering
the use of the Tower for the safe-keeping of recu-
sants. 309 Towards the end of the century we find the
burgesses ordering the closing of all ale-houses on the
* Sabbath ' day, demanding a sermon or homily every
Sunday, and engaging, in addition to the ' minister,'
a zealous and faithful preacher at 4 per annum. 310
For the burgesses indeed, the development of their
own institutions (which now entered on a striking
new phase) was more vital than political or religious
events. Probably it was the series of disputes into
which they had been drawn, and which had so seri-
ously threatened their liberties, that led to the de-
velopment of an executive committee within the
assembly of burgesses, hitherto supreme. 311 The
assembly was unsuited to carry on these struggles, 31 *
and after several experiments with councils elected for
a limited period, which all failed through the jealousy
of the burgess body, in 1580 a permanent self-renew-
ing council of twenty-four ordinary members with
*7 Actt of P.O. 1558-70, p. 288.
9 77 Cal. S.P. Dom. 1625-6, p. 430.
*7 8 Munic. Rec. i, 143^.
a 7' Ibid, i, 1590 ; ii, 31.
980 Ibid, i, 15612.
281 Picton, Munic. Rec. i, 37.
888 Cal. S.P. Dom. 1619-23, pp.24, 34,
43-
288 Picton, Munic. Rec. i, 153.
284 Ibid. 306. The award is printed
in full by Baines, Hist. Li-v. 242 n.
285 Actt ofP.C. 1571-5, p. 113.
286 Ibid. 1558-70, p. 264.
1& Ibid. 1571-5, p. 279.
888 Ibid. 1578-80, p. 223.
a 8 ' Ibid. 1588,?. 331.
990 Ibid. 1595-6, pp. 280, 314, 422.
291 Ibid. 1596-7, pp. 165, 478.
MS. 1926, Art. 10, foL
29
998 Acts of P.O. 1588, p. 331.
994 Ibid. 1578-80, p. 296 ; 1571-5,
279.
295 Ibid. p. 296.
996 Ibid. 1571-5, p. 279.
"7 Picton, Munic. Rec. i, 109.
998 Acts of P.O. 1580-1, pp. 64, 96.
999 Ibid. 1 592-3, p. 439.
soo pi c ton, Munic. Rec. i, 44.
801 Pink and Beavan, Parly. Rep. oj
17
Lanes. 350. In this work will be found
a full list of the members, with biograph-
ical notes.
> 8 Ibid. 184.
808 Picton, Munic. Rec. i, 62 ff.
8 <x Return of Memb. of Par I. 438.
808 Munic. Rec. i, 43.
808 Ibid. 48 and passim.
7 Ibid. 48.
808 Ibid. 93.
809 Acts of P.O. 1580-1, p. 270.
810 Munic. Rec. passim.
811 On this movement see Hist. Munic.
Govt. in Liv. 79-86.
812 Picton, Munic. Rec. i, 68.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
twelve aldermen was appointed." 1 Though it was to
go through some vicissitudes, this body remained in
control of the borough till 1835.
The records of this period present a very vivid
picture of the social condition and customs of the
borough. Space does not permit of any summary of
these, but something must be said on the methods of
conducting trade. 114 The regulation of trade was in
the hands of the mayor and aldermen, acting under
by-laws laid down by the portmoot or the assembly
of burgesses. In the weekly market for local traffic
no outsider was allowed to purchase corn until the
wants of the burgesses had been satisfied. Forestalling
and regrating were severely punished. Ingate and out-
gate dues were charged for goods brought to or from
the market ; from these the burgesses and also the in-
habitants of Altcar and Prescot were free. The masters
of ships bringing cargoes into the Mersey, after paying
anchorage dues, had to obtain permission from the
mayor before offering their goods for sale. First the
mayor determined whether he should offer to take
the whole cargo as a * town's bargain.' If he decided
to do this, a sum was offered which had been es-
timated by the merchant prysors. If the importer
refused this offer he must either leave the port or
agree with the mayor as to the sum he must pay to
make his best market,' i.e. to offer his goods for sale
in open market. It was a system of high protection
for the burgesses and minute regulation, so vexatious
and hampering to trade that it was already breaking
down by the end of the century.
The first three decades of the iyth century saw
the prosperity and the burghal liberties of Liverpool
safely re-established. The port was largely used for
transport to Ireland during the reigns of James I and
Charles I S15 more largely now than Chester. In 1 62 5
five transports containing 550 men were wrecked on
the coast of Holyhead on the way to Carrickfergus,
and less than two hundred men were saved. 518 The
loss of five vessels was a serious blow to a small port,
and the mayor feared that ' unless the king compas-
sionates the town, it will be the utter overthrow of
that corporation.' Pirates, too, still haunted the Irish
seas ; frequent levies of money had to be raised for
dealing with them, 317 and even under the firm rule of
Wentworth in Ireland a ' Biscayan Spanish rogue '
took up his station off Dublin Bay, ' outbraved the
two kingdoms,' and captured two Liverpool vessels,
one of which had cargo to the value of 3,000, while
another bore * a trunk of damask ' belonging to the
lord-lieutenant himself." 8 Nevertheless the prosperity
of the port steadily increased, and gained especially
from the development of Irish industries under Went-
worth. In 1618 the number of vessels in the port 319
was twenty-four, with a total tonnage of 462. In
the next year Chester had to represent to the Crown
that it possessed no ships, trading only in small barks."
The superior rival of the previous century had been
distanced ; and this being so, it is not surprising that
Liverpool should have repudiated, with even greater
vigour than in I 565, the claim of Chester to supremacy,
which was revived in i6i9. S21 To retain a share of
the trade in Irish yarn, Chester had to make special
treaties with Irish exporters ; 32a but even then Liver-
pool more than held its own. 818 Foreign trade as
well as Irish trade was increasing, 824 especially with
Spain ; a part of the salt of Cheshire, hitherto almost
monopolized by Chester, came to supply outgoing
cargoes ; malt was brought from Tewkesbury to Liver-
pool by the Severn and the sea ; 32i and there is even
a record of one cargo of tobacco 326 brought direct
from the Indies the beginning of Liverpool's Ameri-
can trade.
This growing prosperity is reflected in a growth
of population, despite a visitation of the plague in
i dog. 8 * 7 The number of freemen rose from 1 90 in
1589 to 256 in 1620 and to 450 in i645. 818 Though
some of these were non-resident, there was also a con-
siderable non-freeman population in the borough, and
the population on the eve of the Civil War may, per-
haps, be estimated at 2,000 or 2,500. At the same
time the corporate revenue undergoes a remarkable
expansion. In 1603 it was ^55 ; in 1650 it had
risen to 273
The borough was comparatively little troubled
during the early years of the century by the diffi-
culties by which it had been faced in the preceding
age. In 1617 the copyholders of West Derby,
instigated by Sir Richard Molyneux, raised a claim
to a part of the Liverpool waste, 33 ' now administered
by the borough ; but the mayor and bailiffs were
instructed to * make known untc them . . . that
time out of mind the liberties which we claim have
belonged to our town, and that we have evidence to
maintain the same,' and the question was not pressed.
In 1620 there was an obscure dispute with Six Richard
over the levying of prisage duties on wine, 331 tht issue
of which is unknown. Several times during the period
the borough authoritiei came in conflict with the
Duchy courts on the question of the competenct of
the borough courts to try all cases arising within the
liberties, 33 * a right which was vigorously and success-
fully maintained. But the questions which occupy
most space in the records are internal disputes, espe-
cially concerning the powers and duties of the burghal
officers. From 1633 to x ^37 a fierce controversy
raged with the town-clerk, 333 Robert Dobson, who,
having paid ^70 for his office, considered himself
irremovable, and bore himself with intolerable inso-
lence towards the mayor and bailiffs. This controversy
eventually led to a dispute with the Chancery Court
of the Duchy, to which Dobson tried to remove his
case. There were disputes also with the bailiffs. The
bailiffs of 162 6 s34 were imprisoned in the Common
Hall for refusing to carry out the instructions of the
Town Council; the bailiffs of i629 835 brought an
action against the corporation in the King's Bench,
for which one of them was deprived of the freedom.
818 Picton, Munic. Rec. i, 52 ; and Hut.
Munic. Go-vt. 85.
814 Munic. Rec. passim ; the detailed
regulation! of trade occupy perhaps a
larger amount of space in the records than
any other single subject.
814 Liv. Munic. Rec. passim ; Hist.
AfSS. Com. Ref>. viii, App. i, 380^-6 A;
ibid, iv, 2, 3, 6 ; ibid, v, 350 ; Cal. S.P.
Dom. 1625-6, p. 40, Sec.
416 Cal. S.P. Dom. 1625-6, pp. s, 6, 8.
81 7 Ibid. 1619-23, pp. 24, 43.
* w Hist. AfSS. Com. Rep. xii
ii, 10.
819 S.P. Dom. Jas. I, cix, 9 (i).
820 Cal. S.P.Dom. 1619-23, p. 24.
821 Ibid. pp. 34, 104.
822 Hitt. AfSS. Com. Rep. viii, App
38 1 b.
828 Ibid. 399*.
824 Liv. Munic. Rec. passim.
825 Picton, Liv. Munic. Rec. i, 181.
18
82 ibid.
App. 8a 7 Shuttleworth Accounts (Chet. Soc.
JUKV), 1 86 ; Hist. AfSS. Com. Rep. x,
App. iv, 62.
828 Picton, Liv. Munic. Rec. i, 124.
8! Ibid. 174.
880 Ibid. 169.
881 Ibid. 274.
882 Ibid. 136, 131, 165, 171.
888 Ibid. i6iff.
884 Ibid. 126. 885 Ibid.
WEST DERBY HUNDRED
Probably the cause of these disputes was the control
exercised by the new Town Council over officials,
who, before its establishment, had been accustomed
to uncontrolled authority. During this period the
Town Council seems to have remained on good
terms with the body of burgesses ; 33S partly because
its meetings were open ; partly because it appears to
have been the practice for the bailiffs, elected on the
annual election day, to become thereafter members of
the council for life. 337 This gave to the burgesss-body
some control over the membership of the council, and
probably left few places to be filled up by the council
itself.
But the most striking sign of the growing inde-
pendence of the borough is to be seen in the use
made of its privilege of electing to Parliament. Lord
Derby still occasionally nominated one member, but
the Chancellor of the Duchy lost his right ; always
one, and sometimes both, of the members were now
genuinely elected by the borough, wages were paid to
them, and care was taken that they earned them. In the
elections all freemen took part, and, probably because
the Town Council was so recently established and
because national politics were beginning to be in-
teresting, this power was never usurped from the
freemen by the council. An illustration of the mode
of treatment of their members by the burgesses may
be quoted. In 1611 Mr. Brook 138 sent in a bill for
28 io/. for the wages of his attendance during the
previous session. Of this he had already ' received in
allowance and payments 14. 5/. yd., and so rested
due to him 14 4/. 5^., which 4/. $d. was deducted
in regard of his stay in Chester about his own business
four days, and so he was allowed 14 absolutely, pro-
vided he delivered first the New Charter.'
Mr. Brook did not produce a charter, and we are
left to infer that his wages were not paid. This is
one of a series of applications for a charter which
occur at frequent intervals in the later years of the
1 6th century and the first quarter of the ijth,
inspired by the sense of insecurity in their privileges
to which the controversies of the previous fifty years
had given rise. There survives a memorandum, 3 - 39
dating from about 1580, in which the Recorder gives
it as his opinion that the borough had never in any
of its charters been incorporated in express words, and
that all its privileges must remain insecure until this
was rectified. Applications in i6o3, 340 i6n,* 41 and.
i6i7 3 " were unsuccessful ; but at length in 162 6 s43
a new charter was purchased from Charles I, then
embarrassed by the war with Spain and by the quarrel
with Parliament.
The charter of Charles I is the most important
of the series, after that of Henry III. It definitely
incorporated the borough ; confirmed it in all the
powers it exercised, whether enjoyed by grant or by
usurpation ; vested in the burgess body full powers of
legislation not only for themselves but for all in-
habitants of the borough ; and granted, probably for
LIVERPOOL
the first time, 844 the right to hold a court under the
Statute of Merchants. The charter did not even
name the town council, which was thus left at the
mercy of the burgess body ; but in the next year the
existing council was re-elected, and as there is no
trace of any discussion of the question until the
second half of the century, it would seem that no
attack on the powers of the council was intended.
The existence of the bench of aldermen is only in-
cidentally recognized by the appointment of the
senior alderman for the time being as a justice of
the peace. The charter thus gave ground for a good
deal of dispute, though none seems to have arisen. But
it was an invaluable grant, for it secured the burgesses
in the possession of all the vague rights which they
had usurped since 1 394, but which had been threatened
since the Molyneuxes obtained possession of the lease
of the farm ; particularly the ownership of the waste
and the sovereignty of the borough officers over the
whole population of the borough. It left unsettled,
however, several questions at issue between the borough
and the lessees of the farm which had remained
dormant since 1555.
It was fortunate that the charter had been obtained
before 1628, for in that year Charles I sold Liver-
pool, 345 with some three hundred other manors, to
trustees on behalf of the citizens of London, in
acquittance of a number of loans. So long as the
Molyneux lease lasted the Londoners' ownership of
the lordship meant nothing beyond the right of
receiving the 14 6s. %d. of farm rent, which
had to be at once paid over to the Crown, the sale
having been made subject to an annual rent-charge of
this amount. The lordship was therefore worthless
to the Londoners ; it was valuable only to Sir Richard
Molyneux, who by buying it from them for 400 in
1 636 s46 obtained in perpetuity and in freehold the
rights he had previously enjoyed by lease, as well as
any other rights that might be construed as coming
under the lordship. This placed the burgesses more
fully than ever at his mercy. In 1638 he commenced
an action in the Court of Wards 347 to prohibit the
burgesses from working an illicit ferry and mill which
had somehow got into their possession. The bur-
gesses, resisting, petitioned the Crown for a grant of
the lease of the farm to themselves ; 348 but this, although
the king ' made a most gracious answer,' was obviously
out of his power since the sale, and they found it
necessary to come to an agreement, 349 whereby they
were to pay Molyneux 20 per annum without
prejudice to their rights. Before the question could
be raised again, and before Molyneux could attempt
to press home other claims, the Civil War had broken
out, and the later stages of the dispute were postponed
until after the Restoration.
The side which Liverpool was likely to take in the
great struggle would not have been easy to predict
from its action during the preceding years. On the
whole the temper of the burgesses, in religious matters,
836 It is impossible to tell whether the
assembly had in this period been wholly
superseded, the word 'Assembly' being
used for both types of meetings. There is
some evidence that council meetings were
open to freemen ; Li-v. Munic Rec. i, 127.
8S " Hist. Munic. Go-vt. in Li-v. 88 and
note.
883 Picton, Li-v. Munic. Rec. i, 157.
839 Hist. Munic. Go-vt. in Liv., 90.
840 Norrit Papers (Chet. Soc. ix), 8.
841 Picton, Munic. Rec. i, 157.
849 Ibid. 156.
848 Orig. in Liv. Mun. Archives ; Hist.
Munic. Go-vt. 16589. An analysis of
the charter is given in the same work,
91-4.
844 The docquet of the charter speaks
of it as ' a confirmation ... of ancient
liberties ivith an addition of a clause for
19
the acknowledgment of statute merchant ;'
ibid. 1 66.
846 The deed of sale is printed in Hist.
Munic. Go-vt. in Liv. 362-81.
848 Deed of sale at Croxteth (Liv. box
io, bdle. R, No. 6), Hist. Munic. Go-vt. in
Liv. 381.
84 ? Picton, Liv. Munic. Rec i, 132.
8 Ibid.
849 Ibid. 133.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
seems to have been Puritan. Thus it was found
necessary to have, in addition to the incumbent of the
chapel, a preacher of the Word of God,' 35 who re-
ceived 20 or 30 per annum together with 'a
reasonable milk cow,' which was to be ' changed at the
discretion of the Council ;' and in 1629 the mayor
petitioned the Bishop of Chester, Bridgeman, for per-
mission to arrange ' once a month two sermons upon
a week-day.'" 1 The list of preachers arranged for
the following year in accordance with the licence then
obtained, is significant. It includes Kay, Vicar of
Walton, who later became a Presbyterian, and Richard
Mather, minister of the Ancient Chapel of Toxteth
Park, who was driven to America by Laud in 1636.
Probably the presence in Toxteth of a little group of
Puritan formers, planted there by Sir Richard Moly-
neux when the park was brought under cultivation in
1 6c>4, MI had considerable influence upon the Puritan
temper of the borough.
On the other hand, the influence of the surround-
ing gentry was exercised almost entirely on the Royalist
side. The Royalism of West Derby Hundred was
even stronger than the Parliamentarianism of Salford
Hundred, and the centre and support of it was the
special patron of Liverpool, Lord Strange, who during
the incapacity of his father, until he succeeded to the
title in 1642, represented the house of Stanley. The
only considerable family in the district which took the
Parliamentarian side was that of the Moores, of Liver-
pool, 353 and, local as they were, they could not balance
the Derby influence. Thus torn asunder, the borough
followed an extremely vacillating course. To the
Parliament of 1623 two Royalist members were re-
turned. 354 In that of 1625 the Puritan, Edward
Moore, was balanced by Lord Strange. 356 In the
Petition of Right Parliament there were again two
strong Royalist members. 858 Thus in the first period
of the national controversy, the influence of the neigh-
bouring gentry was able to outweigh the Puritan
tendencies of the borough. But during the eleven
years of personal government, the tide of opinion
turned. On the first levy of ship-money in 1634,
Liverpool was required to pay 15 as its share of the
cost of a ship of 400 tons, to be raised by the mari-
time counties of Wales, by Cheshire, Lancashire, and
Cumberland ; K7 the same sum was assessed by a com-
mittee of mayors and sheriffs upon Carlisle, while
Chester had to pay 100. The burden was a light
enough one for a town which a little later raised with-
out difficulty 1 60 to fight a single law-suit ; SM
but there was keen opposition, 359 several burgesses de-
clined to pay, and threatened the bailiffs with actions
at law if they should attempt distraints ; the Town
Council had to resolve that the costs of such actions
should be borne at the town's expense, but there were
two members of the council itself who protested against
this. In the next year John Moore, the regicide, was
elected mayor, and on the second levy of ship-money
there were similar difficulties. 859 *
When the meeting of the Short Parliament ended
the period of personal government, both of the Liver-
pool members were in the opposition ; $6 while to the
Long Parliament Liverpool returned the acrid Puritan,
John Moore, along with Sir Richard Wynne, 361 who,
though he had accompanied Charles I on his journey
to Spain, was by no means a staunch Royalist : he
voted against the attainder of Strafford, but he was a
member of the deputation to present the Grand Re-
monstrance to the king. 36 * It is tolerably clear that
had the burgesses been left to themselves, without the
influence of Lord Derby and others, Liverpool, like
other ports, would have been enrolled on the Parlia-
mentarian side.
When, on the outbreak of war, the Parliamentarian
party in Lancashire began to organize their resistance
against the vigorous action of Lord Strange, John
Moore of Liverpool was the only gentleman of West
Derby Hundred whom they could find to include in
their list of deputy-lieutenants. Even he was appa-
rently helpless in Liverpool, for he is found with the
other Parliamentarian leaders at Manchester in the
middle of iS^z. 363 Liverpool, controlled by the
Molyneux Castle and the Stanley Tower, was defence-
less against the Royalist party. Lord Strange was able
to seize the large stock of powder which lay in the
town, 364 and to garrison both castle and tower. He
was actively supported by the mayor, John Walker, 364
who received a royal letter of commendation for his
action ; but the presence of a considerable Parliamen-
tarian party in the town is indicated by the note that
the mayor had been threatened, perhaps by John
Moore, with imprisonment and transportation from
the country. 366 Colonel Edward Norris, of Speke, be-
came governor, 367 and thirty barrels of gunpowder were
sent into the town from Warrington. 368 Nothing,
however, seems to have been done to strengthen the
defence of the town. It remained under Royalist
control so long as Lord Derby's strength was sufficient
to hold the western half of the county. When, in the
early months of 1643, his main force was called off for
service in the midlands, the Parliamentarian forces
from Manchester rapidly overran the western half of
the county, and by May, Lathom House and Liverpool
were the only Royalist strongholds left. Colonel
Tyldesley, with the remnant of the Royalist forces,
fell back upon Liverpool ; 369 but he was hotly followed
by Assheton with the Manchester Parliamentarians, 37 '
while a Parliamentarian ship entering the Mersey cut
off retreat in that direction. 371 After two days' fighting
Assheton had captured the whole line of Dale Street
and also the chapel of St. Nicholas, in the tower of
which guns were mounted which commanded the
town. Tyldesley was forced to treat, asking for a free
retreat to Wigan with arms and artillery. These terms
were refused, and an assault completely routed the
Royalists, who lost eighty dead and 300 prisoners, while
the loss of the attacking force was only seven killed. S71
the date of this first siege is unknown, but it was pro-
bably at the end of May 1643.
The Parliamentarians, now masters of Liverpool,
, jso picton, Liv. Munic. Rec. i, 197.
" Ibid. zoo.
" V.C.H. Lanci. iii, 42.
848 The Ireland* of Hale -were a little
too far away.
" Ret. ofMemb. ofParl.
" Ibid. 8M ibid.
W Hut. MSS. Com. Rep. viii, App. i,
383* ; Cal. S.P. Dom. 1634-5, p. 568.
848 Picton, Liv. Munic. Rec. i, 133.
The money was, how-
Cal. S.P. Dom. 1634-5,
869 Ibid. 220.
ever, duly paid 5
p. 569.
859a CaLS.P.Dom. 1636-7, pp. 205-6.
860 Ret. ofMemb. ofParl.
881 Ibid.
163 Commons' Journ. sub die.
m Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. v, 32*.
*** Ibid, iz, App. iii, 391^. It amounted
to 3,000 cwt. of powder in 1637 and 1638 ;
2O
Cal. S.P. Dom. 1637, p. 507 ; 1638-9,
p. 387.
865 picton, Liv. Munic. Rec. i, 137.
8 " Ibid. 7 Ibid. 138.
8S8 Ibid. 137.
Exceeding joyfull News,' &c. printed
in Ormerod, Lane . Civil War Tract* (Chet
Soc. ii), 104.
8 ' Ibid. on Ibid, and 138.
873 Ormerod, loc. cit. 105.
WEST DERBY HUNDRED
proceeded to make very effective use of their capture.
Lieut. -Col. Venables was appointed governor, 373 with
martial powers overriding the town council. On his
recall, early in 1644, he was succeeded, as a result of
a petition from the burgesses, by Colonel John
Moore,* 74 who remained in command until the town
fell before Rupert. The German engineer Rosworm
was brought from Manchester to reconstruct the forti-
fications, 375 which were, however, not very skilfully
laid out. A ditch 36 ft. wide and 9 ft. deep was cut
from the river, 376 north of the Old Hall, to the Pool.
Behind it ran a high earthen rampart, which was
broken by gates where it was crossed by Oldhall Street,
Tithebarn Street, and Dale Street, each gate being
protected by cannon. Earthworks with batteries
guarded the line of the Pool, and a strong battery of
eight guns was placed at the angle of the Pool, below
the castle. In addition, a number of guns were
placed on the castle. A regular garrison, consisting
of a regiment of foot and a troop of horse, 377 was kept
in the town ; but in addition military service was
required of the burgesses, for whose use 100 muskets,
100 bandoliers, and 100 rests were delivered to the
mayor and aldermen, 378 a fine of is. being imposed on
any burgess who failed to turn out for duty ' at the
beating of the drum.' 379 During the period of military
occupation the authority of the governor overrode that
of the town council. He was present at its meetings, 380
and most of his officers were admitted to the freedom.
John Moore seems to have been far from successful as
a governor. Adam Martindale, who served as his
chaplain, 381 gives a terrible picture of the governor's
entourage, though he praises m the ' religious officers of
the company ' with whom he ' enjoyed sweet commu-
nion,' as they met ' every night at one another's
quarters, by turnes, to read scriptures, to confer of good
things, and to pray together.'
The functions which Liverpool had to perform
were threefold. On land, the garrison had to hold
a Royalist district in check, and to take part in the
siege of Lathom House. In addition it had to keep
in touch with the Parliamentarian forces in Cheshire,
and be prepared to deal with movements of the Royal-
ist garrison of Chester. On the sea the function of
Liverpool was still more important. It was the ' only
haven ' 382a of the Parliamentarians on the west coast,
and it therefore became the base of naval movements
intended to prevent communication between Ormond,
in Ireland, and the English Royalists. 883 For this pur-
pose part of the fleet was stationed here as early as
June i643, 384 and five months later this force amounted
to six men-of-war, 385 and Colonel Moore, Governor of
Liverpool, became Vice-Admiral for Lancashire and
Westmorland. 388 It was under the command of one
Captain Danks or Dansk, 337 and though the prevalent
north-west winds sometimes shut him into the Mersey,
he was able very seriously to harass the Royalists, inter-
cepting supplies 388 upon which the Irish Royalists were
LIVERPOOL
dependent, and preventing the transport of troops.
Royalist vessels from Bristol, indeed, disputed with the
Liverpool ships the command of the Irish Sea, 389 but
not very effectively ; the Puritan sailors of Bristol were
half-hearted in the service, and one Bristol ship laden
with arms and supplies for Chester deserted and sailed
into the Mersey. 390 Ormond felt the position to be
so serious for himself that he wrote to the Royalist
forces in Cheshire, 391 * earnestly recommending ' them
to attack Liverpool 'as soon as they possibly can,' and
urging that ' no service to my apprehension can at
once so much advantage this place (Dublin) and
Chester, and make them so useful to each other.' The
same urgent advice was given by Archbishop Williams, 3 "
in command at Con way. The capture of Liverpool
was one of the immediate objectives of Byron's force of
3,000 Irish, which landed in Cheshire in November
1643, and on its arrival supplies were sent in to
Liverpool, 393 and forces called up to its aid. 394 The
defeat of Byron in January 1644 left the Liverpool
garrison free to press the siege of Lathom 395 in con-
junction with Assheton's forces from Bolton. But the
straits of Lathom formed an additional reason for a
vigorous blow from the Royalist side. Lord Derby
was urgent 396 upon Prince Rupert to relieve Lathom.
and to seize Liverpool, 'which your highness took
notice of in the map the last evening I was with you,
for there is not at this time fifty men in the garrison.'
Urged by these motives, the capture of Liverpool
was one of the tasks which Rupert set himself on his
northward march, in May and June, to the relief of
Newcastle in York. His approach caused Moore to
retreat hastily to Liverpool, while the garrison was
reinforced by 400 men sent from Manchester ; 397 the
ships in the Mersey were drawn up in the port to
assist in repelling the attack ; 39S women, children, and
suspects were removed from the town, 399 and all who
remained ' were resolute to defend ' the place.
It was on 9 June that Rupert, fresh from a brilliant
success over the Parliamentarians, came down over the
hill which overlooked and commanded the little town.
' A mere crow's nest,' he is said to have called it,
' which a parcel of boys might take.' 40 But two
furious assaults of the kind which had carried all
before them at Bolton were alike unsuccessful, 401 the
loss to the besieging force being stated at 1,500.
Rupert had then to throw up earthworks 4M and bring
up his artillery, which during several days' cannonade
cost ' a hundred barrels of munition, which,' says a
correspondent of Lord Ormond, ' makes Prince Rupert
march ill-provided.' 403 At length a night attack was
led by Caryll, brother of Lord Molyneux, 404 whose
local knowledge brought the surprise party through the
fields on the north to the outhouses of the Old Hall,
the family mansion of the governor of the town,
which they reached at three o'clock in the morning.
They found the ramparts deserted by the regular
garrison, which had been drawn ofF by Colonel
8 ? 8 Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. x, App. iv, 66.
Ibid.
87* 'Rosworm' s good service," &c. in Or-
merod, loc. cit. 229.
V6 Seacome, Hist, of the House of Stanley.
877 Martindale, Autobiog. (Chet. Soc. iv),
36-7.
87<* Picton, Liv. Munic. Rec. i, 138.
879 Ibid. 139. 8 80 Ibid.
881 Martindale, Autobiog. 36-7.
882 Ibid. 37-8.
882 Hut. MSS. Com. Rep. xiii, App. i,
157. 883 Ibid. 133.
88< Ibid. 713. 885 Ibid. 157.
886 Ibid, x, App. iv, 67.
M 7 Carte, Life of Ormond, iii, 1 90.
888 Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. xiii, App. 1,133.
889 Ibid. 153.
890 Ormerod, op. cit. 154.
891 Carte, Life of 'Ormond, iii, 229.
w Ibid. 212.
898 Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. x, App. iv, 68.
21
894 Ibid.
895 Ormerod, op. cit. 162, 173, 185.
896 Warburton, Rupert, 364.
897 Merc. Brit, in Ormerod, op. cit. 199.
898 Seacome, House of Stanley, 117.
899 Ibid.
* Ibid.
401 Ormerod, op. cit. 199.
403 S, a come, loc. cit.
403 Ormond MSS. ii, 319.
404 Moore Rental (ed. W. F. Irvine), 1 6.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
Moore during the night, and embarked with the
military stores on the shipping in the Pool. 405 About
400 men of the garrison, however, still remained, and
these offered a vigorous resistance. Street fighting
went on for several hours ; though there seems to have
been some sort of surrender, ' Prince Rupert's men
did slay almost all they met with, to the number of
360, and among others . . . some that had never
borne arms, . . . yea, one poor blind man ' ; 406
Caryll Molyneux, according to Sir Edward Moore,
the runaway Colonel's son, killing 'seven or eight
poor men with his own hands.' 407 The remainder of
the garrison surrendered at the High Cross. They
were imprisoned in the tower and the chapel, while
Rupert took up his quarters in the castle, and the town
was given over to sack. The number of the killed is
indicated by the fact that six months later every house-
hold had to provide a man to aid in ' better covering
the dead bodies of our murthered neighbours ' of the
'great company of our inhabitants murthered and
slain by Prince Rupert's forces.' 408
The capture of the town probably took place on
14 or 15 June; it is mentioned in the Mercurius
Britannicus of 1 7 June. 409 Rupert remained in the
castle till the igth, 410 when he marched for Lathom.
The intervening days were probably spent in drawing
up proposals for the refortification of the town, which
was intrusted to a Spanish engineer, de Gomme. His
excellent plan survives, but was never carried out.
The defeat of Rupert at Marston Moor probably
gave pause to these elaborate schemes. On his retreat
he was expected to call at Liverpool, 411 but does not
seem to have done so. Liverpool was now again,
except Lathom, the only Royalist stronghold in Lanca-
shire. 411 To garrison it Sir Robert Byron had been left
with a large force of English and Irish troops ; 41S
there was also a considerable number of cattle within
the walls, 414 while guns had been mounted on ' Wor-
rall side ' (probably near the modern New Brighton)
to prevent the approach of Parliamentary ships. 415
To deal with Liverpool and Lathom 1,000 horse
were detached by Lord Fairfax from the main army on
8 August to join the Lancashire Parliamentarian levies, 416
and the whole force was placed under the command of
Sir John Meldrum. During August the Royalists
were strong enough to keep the field, and there was a
good deal of fighting between Liverpool and Lathom.
But after 20 August, when the Royalists were severely
defeated at Ormskirk, 417 it is probable that the formal
siege of Liverpool began. Meldrum did not waste
men on assaults, but sat down before the town and
drew formal lines of entrenchment. 418 He was as-
sisted by a fleet in the river under Colonel Moore, 419
probably the same with which he had escaped in June ;
and ' the sad inhabitants from both sides are deeply
distressed.' The Royalist forces in the neighbour-
hood strained every nerve to effect a relief ; a new
force raised by Lord Derby had to be beaten back on
10 September ; 420 the Chester garrison had to be
strictly blockaded to prevent its sending relief ; and on
1 7 September a force of 4,000 men was met by the
Parliamentarians at Oswestry 421 marching to the re-
lief of Liverpool. It was doubtless the value of
Liverpool as a point of contact between Ireland and
the northern Royalists which accounted for the im-
portance attached to it. Well provisioned and ,
strongly garrisoned, the town held out for nearly two
months. In the last days of October fifty of the
English soldiers in the garrison, fearing to share
the fate threatened to the Irish, deserted, 42 * driving
with them into Meldrum's camp the greater part of
the cattle in the town. On I November the re-
mainder of the garrison mutinied, imprisoned their
officers, and surrendered the town at discretion. 4 * 3 An
attempt to imitate Moore's example by shipping sup-
plies and ammunition in some vessels in the river
was checked by the commander of the besieging force,
who sent out rowing-boats to capture the ships.
During the remainder of the war Liverpool re-
mained at peace, but for some years seems to have
been used as one of the principal places of arms in
the county. 483 * Colonel Moore for a time resumed
command ; but his prestige was ruined by his be-
haviour during Rupert's siege ; and though Meldrum
exonerated him from blame, 4 * 4 the townsmen them-
selves felt that the town had been needlessly aban-
doned, and petitioned Parliament to inquire as to
whose was the ' neglect or default.' m Moore left for
Ireland, and was replaced by another governor. His
family never recovered from the discredit into which
he had brought it, or from the financial difficulties in
which he involved himself. As a recompense for its-
services and sufferings the town obtained several im-
portant grants from the Commonwealth government ;
money for the relief of widows and orphans, 426 licence
to cut timber from the Molyneux and Derby estates
for the rebuilding of the town, 427 the abolition of the
Molyneux tenancy of the lease, 428 and a grant of
i 0,000 worth of land, at first assigned from the
estates of ' malignants,' in Galway, 429 which, how-
ever, turned out to be entirely illusory. At the same
time the Tower passed from the possession of the house
of Stanley, being sequestrated, and on 19 September
1646 sold by the Committee for Compounding. 43 "
The period of the Civil War thus saw the borough re-
leased from the feudal superiority which had so long
oppressed it ; and though this came back at the
Restoration it was less patiently endured, and lasted
but a short time. The period also saw the division
of the burgesses into two acrimonious political and
religious parties, whose strife was to give a new charac-
ter to the political development of the next epoch.
In the second half of the 1 7th century the develop-
ment of Liverpool, which had begun in the first half
of the century and been checked by the Civil Wars,
received a remarkable impetus ; so that in 1699 t ^ e
406 Ormerod, op. cit. 199.
409 Martindale, Autobiog, (Chet. Soc.
iv), 41.
*> Moore Rental (ed. W. F. Irvine), 16.
408 Picton, Liv. Munic. Rec. i, 140.
** Ormerod, op. cit. 199.
410 Hist. MSB. Com. Re/>. xiii, App. i, 179.
* u Ibid, iv, App. 2756.
4U London Post, 30 .Sept. 1644, in
Ormerod, op. cit. 206.
4U Vicars, Pad. Chron. iv, 62.
414 Ormerod, op. cit 207.
416 Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. iv, App. 270*.
416 Ormerod, op. cit. 206.
V Ibid.
418 London Post, in Ormerod, op. cit. 206.
Ibid. "20 Ibid> 207 .
431 Ibid. 206.
4M Perfect Diurnall, in Ormerod, op. cit.
207.
* w Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. vii, App. i,
449".
428a See Cal. S.P. Dom. 1649-54, where
there are numerous references.
22
424 Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. x, App. iv, 73.
426 Picton, Liv. Munic. Rec. 1,226.
488 Ibid. 144.
427 Ibid. 145.
4i Ibid. Ibid. 147 ff.
480 Cal. of Com. for Compounding, ii,.
1 1 8. The purchaser was one Alexander
Greene, who was still in possession in
1663 ; Trans. Hist. Soc. (new ser.), xvi,
136. These points have been brought out
by Mr. Peet, Liv. in Reign of Queen Anne,,
5 5 and note.
WEST DERBY HUNDRED
LIVERPOOL
borough could claim 431 that ' from scarce paying the
salary of the officers of the Customs, it is now the
third port of the trade of England, and pays upwards
of 50,000 per annum to the king.' In 1673 the to-
pographer Blome 432 found that it contained ' divers emi-
nent merchants and tradesmen, whose trade and traffic,
especially unto the West Indies, make it famous.'
When in 1689 the Commissioners of Customs were
asked to report as to the ports which could best supply
shipping for transport to Ireland, they stated 433 that
while Chester had ' not above 20 sail of small burden
from 25 to 60 tons,' Liverpool had' 60 to 70 good
ships of from 50 to 200 ton burden, but because they
drive a universal foreign trade to the Plantations and
elsewhere,' it was impossible to tell how many of them
would be available.
The port continued to control the larger share of
the Irish trade. It still maintained a considerable
traffic to France and Spain, and also to Denmark and
Norway. 434 But, as the statements above quoted show,
it was the opening out of a lucrative trade with ' the
plantations,' especially the West Indies and Virginia,
in sugar, tobacco, and cotton, which made this period
mark the beginning of Liverpool's greatness. Several
causes conspired to assist this development. The
industries of Manchester were undergoing a rapid
development, so that, in the words of Blome, 434 the
situation of Liverpool ' afforded in greater plenty and
at reasonabler rates than most places in England, such
exported commodities proper for the West Indies.'
The plague and fire of London had caused ' several
ingenious men ' to settle in Liverpool, ' which caused
them to trade to the plantations,' 436 while when the
French wars began in 1689 London traders found
that 'their vessels might come safer north about
Ireland, unload their effects at Liverpool, and be at
charge of land-carriage from thence to London than
run the hazard of having their ships taken by the
enemy,' 43r and Liverpool profited accordingly. As
early as 1668 a 'Mr. Smith, a great sugar-baker
at London,' was bargaining with Sir Edward
Moore 43S for land on which to build * a sugar-baker's
house . . . forty feet square and four stories
high ' ; and Sir Edward Moore expected this
to * bring a trade of at least 40,000 a year from
the Barbadoes, which formerly this town never
knew.' Even more important than the establish-
ment of a sugar-refining industry was the tobacco
trade, which grew to large dimensions in these years.
In 1701 it was asserted 439 that a threatened interfer-
ence with the tobacco trade would ' destroy half the
shipping in Liverpool ' ; 44 it was * one of the chiefest
trades in England,' and * we are sadly envyed, God
knows, especially the tobacco trade, at home and
abroad.' 441 All the tobacco of Scotland, Ireland, and
the north of England was supposed to come to Liver-
pool. 442 The result of this growing trade was a
remarkably rapid increase of shipping ; in the twelve
years between 1689 and 1701 the number of vessels
in the port had grown from '60 or 70' to 102,
which compares not unfavourably with the 165
vessels owned by Bristol in the same year. Shipping
brought with it several new industries, and in par-
ticular rope-walks began to be a feature of the town,
and remained so for more than a century to come.
Many new families of importance begin to appear ;
the Claytons, the Clevelands, the Cunliffes, the
Earles, the Rathbones, the Tarletons, and the John-
sons, 443 win the superiority in municipal affairs from
the Moores and the Crosses ; ' many gentlemen's sons
of Lancashire, Yorkshire, Derbyshire, Staffordshire,
Cheshire, and North Wales are put apprentices in the
town,' 444 and a new set of names appears in the re-
cords. The population was steadily increasing. The
ravages of the war, together with outbreaks of plague
in 1647 and i65O, 445 had kept it down, so that in 1673
only 252 householders were assessed for the hearth
tax, 446 giving a total population (allowing for ex-
emptions) of about 1,500 ; but by the beginning
of the 1 8th century the number was well over
5,ooo. 447 And now, for the first time, new streets
began to be made in addition to the original seven :
Moor Street, Fenwick Street, Fenwick Alley, and
Bridge's Alley 448 having been cut by Sir Edward
Moore out of his own lands, while Lord Street was
cut by Lord Molyneux in 1668 through the castle
orchard to the Pool, and Preeson's Row, Pool Lane
(South Castle Street), and several other thoroughfares
were being built upon. 449 Public improvements on a
large scale began to be carried out or talked of. In
1673 a new town hall was built, 'placed on pillars
and arches of hewn stone, and underneath the public
exchange for the merchants.' 450 This building re-
placed the old thatched common hall with which the
burgesses had been content since it was bequeathed to
them by John Crosse ; it stood immediately in
front of the modern town hall. The difficulty of
accommodating the growing shipping of the port was
already felt, and among the modes suggested for re-
lieving the pressure was the deepening of the Pool, 451
a scheme which, in a modified form, ultimately led to
the creation of the first dock. Proposals for improving
the navigation of the Weaver 452 to facilitate the
Cheshire trade, and for erecting lighthouses 45S on the
coast, met indeed with keen opposition at first from
the burgesses, who feared to see trade carried past
their wharves ; but they were to be converted to both
of these schemes before half a century had passed. In
the meantime an improvement in the navigation of
the Mersey below Warrington, carried out by Mr.
Thomas Patten, 454 of the latter place, led to a material
increase of Liverpool's trade, and was the first of a
481 In the case for the establishment of
a separate parish, printed in Picton, Liv.
Munic. Rec. 1,325.
482 Blome, Britannia, 134.
488 Hiit. MSS. Com. Rep. xii, App. vi,
169.
484 pi c ton, Liv. Munic. Rec. i, 309 and
passim.
485 Loc. cit.
486 Case for the new parish, loc. cit.
48 7 Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. xiv, App. iv,
430. In 1 6 94 we hear of no less than 32
hips sent from Liverpool to the West
Indies ; Cal. S.P. Dom. 1694-5, p. 237.
488 Moore Rental (ed. W. F. Irvine), 99.
Apparently he did not complete his bargain;
but a sugar-house was built by his firm in
Redcross Street ; Peet, Liv. in the Reign of
Queen Anne, 32 n.
489 N orr i s Papers (Cher.. Soc.), 81.
4 Ibid. no. 441 Ibid. 114.
442 Ibid. 89.
448 Mun. Rec. passim ; Peet, Liv. in tie
Reign of Queen Anne, 6 and passim.
444 Case for the new parish, loc. cit.
445 Picton, Liv. Munic. Rec. i, 192, 194.
448 Trans. Hist. Soc. (new ser.), xvi,
136.
23
44 7 Mr. Peet, on the basis of the poor-
rate assessment of 1708, estimates the
population in that year at a little under
7,000 ; Liv. in the Reign of Queen Anne, 16.
448 Moore Rental, passim.
449 Moore Rental, passim} also Picton,
Munic. Rec. i, 3 14 ff.
450 Blome, loc. cit. j Picton, Munic.
Rec. \, 286.
451 Moore Rental (ed. W. F. Irvine), 79 ff,
101, IO2, 104.
4S3 Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. viii, App. i,
39611. 45S Ibid. 395*.
454 Norris Papers, 38.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
series of such improvements which were pushed for-
ward during the next period.
The rapid growth of the town, and the influx of a
new and thriving population unused to the influences
by which the town had been so long dominated,
reflects itself in a rapid shaking-off of old connexions,
which had already been seriously weakened by the
Civil War and its consequences. This is perhaps
clearest in the case of the Moores, so long the leading
family of the town ; for Sir Edward Moore, son of
the regicide and runagate Colonel John Moore, has
left, in the form of instructions to his son, an elaborate
description 4M of his own properties in the town and
of his relations to its leaders which is invaluable as an
elucidation of this period of transition. Deeply em-
barrassed by the debts incurred by his father, his
estates had only been saved from confiscation by the
fact that his wife, Dorothy Fenwick, was the daughter
of a noted Royalist ; he suffered also, doubtless, from
the shadow which hung over his father's name since
his desertion in the siege of 1644. Soured by his
misfortunes, he was on the worst of terms with the
burgess-body, whose records are full of quarrels with
him. 454 Moore had a clear prevision of the growth
of the port, and hoped by its means to rehabilitate the
fortunes of his house ; but the Town Council checked
more than one of his schemes. Worse than this, the
burgesses refused to elect him either to the mayoralty
or as a representative of the borough in Parliament,
and this he regarded as ingratitude to his family, as
well as a direct injury to his fortunes. His Rental is
full of bitterness on this score. ' They have deceived
me twice, even to the ruin of my name and family,
had not God in mercy saved me ; though there was
none at the same time could profess more kindness to
me than they did, and acknowledge in their very own
memories what great patrons my father and grand-
father were to the town .... Have a care you
never trust them ... for such a nest of rogues was
never educated in one town of that bigness.' 4S7 He
exhausts an extensive vocabulary for epithets to
characterize those who were ' against him,' ' either for
parliament man or mayor.' One of his greatest
troubles was the difficulty which he experienced in
enforcing the use of his mill. The ancient feudal
milling rights had now quite broken down, and it was
only by inserting a special clause in his leases that
Moore, though lessee of two of the principal mills,
could enforce the use of them even upon his own
tenants. 4 * 8 Sir Edward Moore died in 1678, a worn-
out old man at the age of forty-four. His son, Sir
Cleave Moore, a useless spark,' 459 was the last repre-
sentative of the family in Liverpool ; in 1712 he
allowed a foreclosure to be made on his heavily mort-
gaged Liverpool lands and retired to estates in the
south of England which he had got by marriage. 460
The departure of the Moores was the breach of one
of the last links with the past of a town rapidly
reshaping itself.
The same period which saw the departure of the
Moores saw also the final settlement of the long feud
with the Molyneuxes. At the Restoration the con-
fiscation of their lordship during the Commonwealth
was of course annulled. Immediately on taking
possession, Caryll Lord Molyneux renewed the
action 461 which his father had brought against the
burgesses for invasion of his rights as lord of the
manor. The burgesses, knowing that the case would
go against them, made an accommodation similar to
that which they had made in 1639, whereby they
paid 20 per annum for a lease of all the lordship
rights. But this did not settle the dispute. Lord
Molyneux claimed that the burgesses were bound to
pay the rent-charge of .14 6s. %d. due from him to
the Crown over and above the 20 ; they, on their
side, contended that this sum was included in the 20.
This dispute presently merged in another. 46 * In
1668 Lord Molyneux had made a thoroughfare
through the castle orchard to the Pool. Wishing to
continue it, he consulted counsel, who advised him
that as lord of the manor he was owner of the waste
and had a right to make a thoroughfare over it. He
therefore erected a bridge, thus raising the whole
question of the ownership of the waste. The mayor
and burgesses pulled down the bridge ; Molyneux
replied with a whole series of actions at law, con-
cerning ' the interests and title of the Corporation of
Liverpool as to their claim in the waste grounds of
Liverpool,' and also raising anew the old questions of
tolls and dues. Had the question been fought out (as
the burgesses were prepared to fight it) they would
probably have won ; for the charter of Charles I,
antedating the sale of the lordship, with its grant of
all lands, &c. which they then held, however obtained,
certainly covered the waste. After two years' fighting,
however, a compromise was arranged, by which
Molyneux was allowed to build his bridge on pay-
ment of a nominal rent of id. per annum in recog-
nition of the borough's ownership of the waste ; while
on the other hand he granted to the borough a lease
of all the rights of lordship except the ferry and the
burgage-rents (which he still had to pay to the
Crown) for 1,000 years at 50 per annum. 463 In
1777 the lease was bought up from the then Lord
Sefton, and this purchase included ferry and burgage-
rents, which the Molyneuxes had previously purchased
from the Crown. 464 Thus the ancient connexion of
this family with the government of the borough came
to an end ; and with it feudal superiority vanished
from the borough.
Molyneux, indeed, remained hereditary constable
of the castle, 464 which was still outside the liberties of
the borough, and received the tithes payable to the
parochial church of Walton. But both of these
powers also vanished during this period. The castle
had been partially dismantled between 1660 and
l6jB, m and it was now mainly used by a number of
poor tenants who were allowed to remain within its
walls, 467 beyond the control of the borough authorities.
But when in 1688 and 1689 Lord Molyneux, actively
supporting James II, made use of the castle for stores
and arms, 468 and when in 1 694 he was suspected of
<* The Moore Rental, already quoted,
has been published by W. F. Irvine, under
the title of Liverpool in King Charles H's
Time} also by the Chetham Society
(vol. iv).
444 Picton, Liv. Munic. Rec. i, I54ff.
4 *7 Moore Rental (ed. W. F. Irvine),
10, II.
458 Ibid. 64 and passim.
459 Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. xiv, App. iv,
184.
460 Moore Rental (ed. W. F. Irvine),
XXX.
481 Picton, Liv. Munic. Rec. i, 14.
*Ibid. 1,275-8 1.
24
468 These documents are printed in
Hist. Munic. Govt. in Liv. 391 ff.
484 Ibid. 395, 227.
465 Picton, Liv, Munic. Rec. ii, 37 ff.
466 Ibid. ; Cox, Liv. Castle.
467 Picton, Liv. Munic. Rec. ii, 40.
468 Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. xiv, App. iv,
WEST DERBY HUNDRED
LIVERPOOL
being concerned in the organization of a Jacobite
rising, 469 he was confiscated, and the constableship
passed out of his hands. 470 In 1699 the burgesses
obtained a lease of the castle for a year, 471 thus for the
first time bringing its precincts under their control.
In 1 704 they obtained from the Crown a lease 4 "
of the castle and its site for fifty years with power to
demolish its ruins. Disputes with Lord Molyneux,
who still claimed the hereditary constableship, delayed
the settlement, and it was not until 1726 that the
last relics, the wall at the top of Lord Street, dis-
appeared. 473 The acquisition of the lordship and of
the castle by the burgesses marks the conclusion of the
period of struggle with feudal superiors which has
hitherto been the staple of burghal history ; and, no
less than the great development of trade, makes this
period the real beginning of modern Liverpool.
The establishment of Liverpool as a separate parish
is another sign of the same tendency. The arrange-
ment whereby the tithes paid by Liverpool to Lord
Molyneux had during the Commonwealth period been
devoted to the provision of a minister for the new
parish of Liverpool had, of course, with other Com-
monwealth arrangements, been suppressed at the
Restoration. But the rapid growth of the town made
some readjustment inevitable. In 1673 Blome noted 474
that the chapel of St. Nicholas, though large, was too
small to hold the inhabitants of the town, and this
inadequacy became accentuated as the influx of popu-
lation continued. In 1699, in response to a petition
from the Corporation, 474 Liverpool was cut off from
the parish of Walton, and created into a separate
parish with two rectors appointed and paid by the
Corporation. Compensation to the rector of Walton
and to Lord Molyneux was also paid by the Corpora-
tion. 47 ' The borough thus became ecclesiastically as
well as administratively independent. Under the same
Act which constituted the parish, a new church, that of
St. Peter, was erected on the continuation of Lord
Molyneux's road across the waste, henceforth to be
known as Church Street. But the creation of the
parish involved the institution of the vestry as a
separate poor-law authority, levying its own rates ; 4rr
and this marks the beginning of a subdivision of
administrative authority which was to be greatly
extended during the next century.
The new temper of the burgesses, induced by their
prosperity, is further exhibited in the use they made
during the period of their Parliamentary franchise.
Contested elections had been rare before the Restora-
tion, but almost every election after 1 660 was acri-
moniously contested. Lord Derby, who had once
regularly nominated to one of the seats, was still
influential, and his support often sufficed to turn the
scale ; but he was now only one of a group of mag-
nates who wrote to use their influence at elections, 478
and after the Revolution his preferences were entirely
disregarded. The wealthy merchants who now con-
trolled Liverpool were not to be dictated to. Party
feeling had run high, and influence in elections now
mainly took the form of bribery, which became
rampant in this period.
The bitter feud of two organized parties is indeed
the chief feature of municipal history during these
years. Since the fever of the Civil War the great
issues which divided the nation affected the town as
they had never done before ; and under the stress of
strife between Puritans and Cavaliers, or Whigs and
Tories, the forms of borough government underwent
a series of remarkable changes, always influenced by
the synchronous events in national history. The
rising port had emerged from its backwater into the
full stream of national life.
Puritanism had been strong in Liverpool, and con-
tinued to be strong under Charles II. The Act of
Uniformity drove forth two of the ministers of Wal-
ton and Liverpool ; but there remained a substantial
number of Nonconformists. 478 * No less than five alder-
men and seven councilmen, together with the town
clerk, refused to take the oaths in i66z-3, 479 being
almost one in three of the council ; though many
who were Puritan in sympathy, like Colonel Birch, 480
who had been governor of the town under the Com-
monwealth, made no difficulty about accepting the
oaths. Wandering Nonconformist preachers like
Thomas Jolly 481 found ' many opportunities ' and
' much comfort ' when they came to Liverpool ; and
on the issue of the Declaration of Indulgence a
licence was obtained for a Presbyterian conventicle in
* the house of Thomas Christian,' as well as for two
chapels in Toxteth Park. 481a The rector of Walton
writes in 1693 of the presence in Liverpool of 'a
number of fanatics from whom a churchman can
expect little justice.' 4M
The presence of this substantial element of declared
Nonconformists, backed by a number of Conformists
who were Puritan in their sympathies in both poli-
tical and religious affairs, brought it about that Liver-
pool was the scene of acute and acrimonious party strife
down to, and even after, the Revolution. In 1662 a
Hiit. MSS. Com. Rtp. xiv. App. iv,
292 ft". 302. He received a commission
from the exiled monarch giving him ' in-
structions for the care and government of
Liverpool.'
470 There was much competition among
the local nobility to obtain the succession.
Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. i, 20, 21 ; iii, 270*.
4 ? 1 Picton, Liv. Munic. Rec. i, 292 ff.
4 7* A full abstract of the lease is given
by Picton, Li-v. Munic. Rec. ii, 33 ff. The
condition was at first imposed that part
of the castle should be used as an armoury
for the local militia ; but in 1709 Lord
Derby as lord lieutenant empowered the
removal of these arms to the custody of
the mayor. Ibid. 41.
4 '* Picton, Liv. Munic. Rtc. ii, 61.
V* Loc. cit.
75 Picton, Liv. Munic. Rec. i, 3*5.
<7 Ibid.
*77 It would appear, however, that
Liverpool had acted as a poor-law autho-
rity for some time before it became a
separate parish, no doubt under the terms
of 13 & 14 Chas. II, cap. 13, which
provided that in certain counties of the
north of England populous townships
should have overseers of their own, distinct
from those of the large parishes of which
they formed parts. From 1682, when the
records begin, a poor-rate was levied and
administered by elected ' overseers of the
poor." The amount raised rose from 40
in 1682 to ,100 in 1698, the year before
the Act constituting the parish was
passed. There is no marked change
either in the amount raised or in the
mode of administration after the Act.
Vestry Minutes, i.
8 OrmondMSS. (Hist MSS. Com. new
sen), iii, 367.
25
4 7 te In 1669 the Bishop of Chester re-
ported to Archbishop Sheldon that at
' Leverpoole was held a frequent conven-
ticle of about 30 or 40 Anabaptists, mostly
rich people,' while ' two conventicles of
Independents ' were held in Toxteth Park,
'the usual number of each is between
100 and 200, some of them husbandmen,
others merchants with severall sorts of
tradesmen' ; Lambeth MSS. 639, quoted
Bate, Declaration of Indulgence, App. viii.
W Picton, Lii>. Munic. Rec. i, 238,
240. Cf. for presence of ' fanatics ' in
Liverpool, Col. S.P. Dom. 1665-6, p.
243.
480 Ibid.
< Notebook of T. Jolly (Chet. Soc. new
ser. xxxiii), 60.
481a Bate, op. cit. App. Ixx and xxxii.
Hiit. MSS. Com. Rep. xiv, App. iv,
279.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
batch of thirty-eight new freemen were admitted, 48 *
nearly all powerful local landowners, and presumably
good church and king men, and the object of this was
doubtless to modify the Puritan complexion of the
borough. But in spite of this it seems clear that the
Puritans (or, as it will be more convenient and more
accurate to call them, the Whigs) remained in a standing
majority in the burgess body, throughout the period, and
for a time held their own even in the carefully purified
council. 484 This is especially indicated in the mayoral
elections, the only function now left by the council
to the burgess body at large. In 1669 a mayor was
elected who had refused to take the oaths in 1662 ; 485
and when a petition against his election was sent to
the Privy Council, a majority of the Town Council
voted in favour of paying the costs of resistance. From
this it would appear that in 1669 the Whigs were still
strong in the council. So long as the bailiffs con-
tinued to be elected, under the terms of the Charter
of Charles I, by the burgess body, and to become
thereafter life members of the council, it seemed
impossible for Tory predominance to be established.
Applications for a new charter were made in 1 664 4 *
and 1667 ; 487 and as the influence of Lord Derby, that
sound Cavalier, was enlisted in favour of these appli-
cations, it is reasonable to suppose that their object was
to obtain a revision in a sense favourable to the Tories.
The non-success of these applications maybe attributed
to the fact that Charles II, until the secession of
Shaftesbury in 1672, hoped for Puritan support in his
monarchic aims, and was unwilling therefore to weaken
Puritan power.
In 1672 the Tories, now in a majority in the
council though not in the assembly, and led by a
Tory mayor, took the law into their own hands. They
appear to have assumed the right of nominating the
bailiffs ; and when a protest was made, it was con-
demned as ' very scandalous and of bad consequence,'
and a resolution was passed deposing any of the (Whig)
members of council who should be proved to have
been concerned in it. 488 At the next electoral assembly
the outgoing mayor, having declared his successor duly
elected, adjourned the meeting seemingly without
proceeding to the election of bailiffs. 489 A number of
the burgesses, however, refused to be adjourned, and
forcing the mayor to continue in the chair, transacted
business for two hours, until the mayor was relieved by
force. There is no record of their proceedings, which
were regarded as illegal. They may have held that
the result of the mayoral election was not truly
declared ; they may have demanded an election of
bailiffs ; and they may also have insisted upon exercising
their chartered right of passing by-laws. For this
riotous conduct twenty-six men were deprived of the
freedom. In 1676, however, there was again a Whig
mayor ; *" who in conjunction with three Whig
aldermen, proceeded to admit a number of new free-
men without consulting the council, doubtless for the
purpose of affecting the next elections. The council
refused to recognize these freemen ; and when in 1677
another Whig mayor was elected, declared his election
void on the ground that he had been struck off the
commission of the peace for the county. 491 It is worth
noting that these events occurred at the time when
the Crown was engaged in its death-grapple with
Shaftesbury.
On 1 8 July 1677 the council at last succeeded in
obtaining from Charles II a new charter. 492 In the
charter of William III, by which its main provisions
were repealed, this charter is described as having been
obtained ' by a few of the burgesses by a combination
among themselves, and without a surrender of the
previous charter or any judgement of quo warranto or
otherwise given against the same.' 49S This doubtless
means that the application was made by the Tory
majority of the council, without confirmation by the
assembly, to which under the charter of Charles I full
governing powers belonged. The main purpose of
the new charter was to secure the predominance of the
council, unmentioned in the Charles I charter, and
its control over the whole borough government. The
number of the council was raised from forty to sixty in
order to permit of the inclusion of ' fifteen . . . bur-
gesses of the said town dwelling without that town, 'i.e.
fifteen good Tory country gentlemen who would secure
the Tory majority. The charter also transferred from
the assembly to the council the right of electing both the
mayor and the bailiffs, as well as the nomination of free-
men. As the election of the mayor and bailiffs was
the sole municipal power remaining in the hands of
the body of burgesses, this provision deprived them of
any shadow of power over the government of the town.
Their only remaining function was that of electing
members of Parliament, and the right of nominating
freemen gave control even over these elections
ultimately into the hands of the council. Thus the
result of this charter was to place the absolute control
of the borough in the hands of a small self-electing
Tory oligarchy.
The action of the council in the restless strife of
the later years of Charles II was what might have
been predicted. They passed vigorous loyal addresses
against the Exclusion Bill 494 and in condemnation
of the Rye-house Plot ; 49S the latter address con-
tains an interesting allusion to Dryden's dbsalom and
Ackitophel, which shows how keenly the movement of
national affairs was now followed in the borough.
But there is visible in the addresses also an under-
current of nervousness ; their fear of ' Popish contri-
vances,' and their * adherence to the true Protestant
religion ' is a little too loudly insisted upon. This
may explain why it was thought necessary to include
Liverpool in the list of general revisions of municipal
charters at the end of the reign of Charles II and the
beginning of that of James II. Issued in the first
year of James II, the new charter 496 simply confirmed
its predecessor, but it contained also two new clauses,
one reserving to the Crown the right of removing any
member of the council or any borough official : the
other conveying the power of exacting from any
188 Picton, Liv. Munic. Rec. i, 240.
484 On this point see Hist. Munic. Govt.
in Liv. 102, 103.
** Picton, Liv. Munic. Rec. i, 245.
484 Munic. Rec. iii, 779. A ley' of 80
was raised for the purpose.
8 7 Ibid. 837, 847.
488 Picton, Liv. Munic. Rec. 5, 246.
89 Ibid. 247 ; and Hist. Munic. Govt. in
Liv. 102-3, where this curious episode is
discussed.
490 Picton, Liv. Munic. Rec. i, 248.
491 Ibid.
IM Hist. Munic. Govt. in Liv. i 9 1 ff.
498 Ibid. 237. The only allusion to
the episode in the Council minutes is
a resolution on i Nov. 1676 authorizing
the mayor 'to take care about renewing
26
of our charter, taking to his assistance
such as he shall think meet at the charge
of this Corporation.' Munic. Rec. iv, 137.
Clearly the assembly of burgesses had not
been consulted.
494 Picton, Liv. Munic. Rec. i, 2CI.
495 Ibid. 253.
496 Hist. Munic. Govt. in Liv. 207 ff.
WEST DERBY HUNDRED
LIVERPOOL
freeman the oaths hitherto required only from coun-
cillors, and thus rendering possible a further purifica-
tion of the burgess body, still predominantly Whig.
Under the terms of this charter, the deputy-mayor
and the senior alderman (both Tories) were removed 497
by the Crown for persisting in prosecuting two Catho-
lics, a surgeon and a schoolmistress, for pursuing their
professions, in spite of a licence issued by the Crown.
This indicates that in Liverpool, as elsewhere, the
loyalty of the Tories to the Crown was limited by
their loyalty to the Church. Tory as it was, the
council never willingly accepted this charter, which
indeed would appear never to have had legal force. 498
The increasing restiveness of the council is still more
clearly shown in the answer given 4 " to commissioners
who were in 1687 sent round to obtain promises of
aid in securing a Parliament favourable to the repeal
of the Test Act. The mayor answered ' that what is
required by his Majesty is a very weighty and new
thing ; and that he was not prepared to give any
answer but this : when it shall please the King to call
a new Parliament, he proposed to vote for such per-
sons as he hoped would serve the just interests both of
his Majesty and the nation.' Only 'four or five
customs officers ' were ready to promise their votes. 500
The borough as a whole was thus ready to wel-
come, and even the ruling oligarchy was ready to
accept, the Revolution. A small force of royal troops
were for a time in Liverpool, 501 and Lord Molyneux,
Constable of the castle, took a vigorous part for
James as Lord Lieutenant of the county ; 50f but the
attitude of Lord Derby, who, Tory as he was, after
some wavering, threw himself on the side of the
Prince of Orange, 503 had more to do with determin-
ing the attitude of the town ; and one of the things
he protested against was the 'extravagant methods
practised by the new magistrates in the ancient loyal
corporations ' of Wigan, Liverpool, and Preston, into
which he urged that inquiry should be made. 504
Though some of the townsmen made some difficulty
about accepting the oaths to the new monarchs, 505 on
the whole the Revolution was most enthusiastically
received in Liverpool ; and during 1689 the port
was very actively employed in the transport of troops
for the Irish campaign, 506 General Kirke being for a
time in command in the town, 507 while Schomberg
passed through it 508 on his way to embark at Hoy-
lake. So great was the demand for shipping that the
merchants complained that they were being ruined. 509
The Revolution brought about a temporary recon-
ciliation between the two parties in the town. Not
only the Tory magistrates removed by the Crown, 510
but some of the Whigs who had declined the oaths
in idyS, 511 returned to the council. The charter of
James II was dropped by common consent, if it had
ever come into force, and in 1690 an inspeximus and
confirmation 51 * of the charter of Charles II was
obtained from William and Mary. In the first
Parliament of the Revolution Liverpool was repre-
sented 513 by Lord Colchester, son-in-law of Lord
Derby and a sound Tory, and by Thomas Norris, a
strong Whig.
But it was inevitable that the Whigs, in a majority
in the burgess-body, should desire power in the town
government, and the reconciliation did not last long.
In 1694, Lord Colchester being called up to the
House of Peers, a Whig was elected in his place by
400 votes against 1 5 cast for his Tory opponent, 514
in spite of the support given by Lord Derby to the
latter. The Tory mayor went so far as to declare the
defeated candidate elected, 415 for which he was repri-
manded by the House of Commons. This election
was regarded as a triumph for the party which was
anxious to overturn the charter of Charles II ; and
the two members, Jasper Maudit and Thomas Norris,
worked actively 516 to obtain a new charter. The
Town Council voted funds for the defence of the
Charles II charter, 517 and appealed to Roger Kenyon,
member for Clitheroe, and to Lord Derby, to fight
their case for them at Westminster. 518 In 1605,
however, a new charter 519 was granted, which first
declared the Charles II charter invalid on the grounds
already noted, then recited and confirmed the Charles I
charter, and went on to reduce the number of the
Town Council to forty. This charter remained the
governing charter of the borough until 1835. I ts
general principle (in consonance with the conservative
character of the whole revolution of which it was a
part) was to restore the system of government as it
was supposed to have been before the recent changes.
But it was badly drafted ; and left open several vital
questions over which there was much discussion dur-
ing the next century notably the question whether
it was within the power of the burgess body at its
pleasure to override the powers of the Town
Council. 5 *
The Whigs were now in power in the council as
well as in the assembly ; and though the Tories
refused to accept the new charter, 521 and the ex-
mayor (deposed from the council) refused to yield
up the town plate, 521 they were powerless ; and the
Whig predominance remained unshaken until the
middle of the i8th century. An attempt to obtain
the revocation of the William III charter, made by
the Tories during the period of Tory ascendancy in
national councils in 1710, was unsuccessful; 523 as
were also sundry attacks in a different form upon the
dominant Whigs, to which we shall have to allude in
the next section. The Liverpool members of Parlia-
ment during this period were also steadily Whig.
49 7 Picton, Liv. Munic. Rec. i, 257.
498 Against the docquet of the charter
re written the words ' never past,' Hist.
Munic. Govt. in Liv. 206. In a list of
charters in the House of Lords MSS. it
is entered with a note '(did not pass),'
Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. xii, App. vi, 299.
499 Picton, Liv. Munic. Rec. i, 257-8.
600 Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. xii, App. vii,
206.
801 Ibid. Rep. xiv, App. iv, 2OI-2.
602 Ibid. Rep. xii, App. vii, 205 ff.
508 Ibid. Rep. xiv, App. iv, I98ff.
504 Ibid. 198.
505 Ibid. 223.
506 Ibid. Rep. xii, App. vi, 170, 174,
175, 183, 187 ; App. vii, 237, 244, 248,
250.
W Abbott's Journ. (Chet. Soc. Ixi), 2.
508 Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. xii, App. vii,
250.
509 Ibid. Rep* xiv, App. iv, 263.
510 Picton, Liv. Munic. Rec. i, 260.
" Ibid. 281.
512 Hist. Munic. Govt. in Liv. 233.
418 Ret. ofMemb. of Parl. } Norris Papers
(Chet. Soc. ix), 21.
514 Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. xiv, App. iv,
321 ; Picton, Liv. Munic. Rec. i, 261.
515 Ibid.
2 7
6U Norris Papers (Chet. Soc. ix), 25-
3-
517 Picton, Liv. Munic. Rec. !, 262.
518 Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. xiv, App. iv,
378.
519 Hist. Munic. Govt. in Liv. 110-14,
and 236 ff.
sac f or an analysis in detail of these
points see Hist. Munic. Govt. in Liv.
11014.
521 Picton, Liv. Munic. Rec. 263-4.
822 Ibid.
423 Ibid, ii, 4-7 ; Hist. Munic. Govt.
in Liv. 114, 115 ; Hist. MSS. Com. Rep.
xiv, App. iv, 673.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
The chief of them, Sir Thomas Johnson, sat for
Liverpool from 1701 to 1727 and all attacks upon
his seat were unsuccessful." 5 He and his father had
been the leaders in the struggle against the Tory
supremacy. A representative of the new class of
Liverpool merchants, he was assiduous in his atten-
tions to the interests of the town," 6 and deserves to
be regarded as one of the principal fosterers of its
new prosperity. He died a poor man after a labo-
rious life, and his memory now survives only in the
name of Sir Thomas Street. 6 "
Fairly launched on its upward career by 1700,
Liverpool was to enjoy during the course of the 1 8th
century a rapidly increasing prosperity, the course
of which it will be impossible to follow in any detail.
Staunchly loyal to the Protestant succession, the town
enjoyed the favour of the Whig party. Its Whiggism
may be illustrated by the fact that in 1714 it for-
warded an address to the Crown, asking for the
punishment of the Tory ministers of Anne, who had
endeavoured to restore the exiled Stuarts ; 628 by the
fact that in 1 709 it was the only provincial town to
offer hospitality to the exiled ' Palatines,' of whom
it took 130 families ;"* and above all by the fact
that in the rebellion of 1715, during which it was
the single stronghold of Whiggism in Lancashire, it
threw itself vigorously into a state of defence. 530
When the rebellion was crushed it was not unnaturally
chosen as the venue for many of the trials ; 631 two of
the unfortunate prisoners were executed on the
gallows in London Road, while many hundreds were
transported, to the no small profit of the Liverpool
traders who took them out. The later rebellion of
1745 found Liverpool equally loyal; a regiment of
foot was raised and equipped by public subscription,* 3 '
and after having a brush with the Highlanders near
Warrington, it played a useful part in garrisoning
Carlisle, during the Duke of Cumberland's northward
advance, its conduct earning warm praise. 433 When
the rising was over, the party feeling of the town
burst forth in mob riots, in the course of which the
only Roman Catholic chapel was burnt. 434 As might
be expected in a town so vigorously Whig, the
ascendancy of the Whig party remained almost
unshaken both in municipal politics and in the
Parliamentary elections. Liverpool was generally
regarded as a safe Whig borough, 435 and the power of
electing new freemen, hitherto pretty generously
exercised, now began to be used by the Town
Council for the purpose of securing party ascend-
ancy. 438 Under these circumstances the Tory party,
extruded from power, made themselves the advocates
of the rights of the burgess body as against the Town
Council rights of which they had formerly been the
principal opponents. The election of Sir Thomas
Bootle as one of the members for the borough from
1727 to I734 437 represents the partial triumph of
this interest. During the same period, and largely
under Bootle's influence, a vigorous attack was made
on the ascendancy of the Town Council, 433 which was
for some years quite overridden, the government of
the town being assumed, in accordance with the
popular interpretation of a clause in the William III
charter, by a succession of popular mayors acting
through the assembly of burgesses. In 1734 Lord
Derby was elected mayor, and under his powerful
direction, an attempt was made to regularize the
position of the assembly, and to establish its right of
passing by-laws and electing freemen. Lord Derby
died before the end of his year of office ; and after
his death the agitation quietly and completely died
out. There was a partial revival of the controversy
in 1757, when Mr. Joseph Clegg, 439 one of the alder-
men who had been mayor in 1 748, led a renewed
attack upon the council. But though the council
tried in vain to obtain a new charter 640 establishing
beyond question its control of borough government
Clegg's attack came to nothing, and the challenge of
the council's authority was not again renewed until
the time of the French Revolution. The chief
interest of this struggle is the demonstration which it
affords that the ascendancy of the Whigs was as
narrowly oligarchic as that of the Tories had been
after the Restoration. Indeed, it was even more so ;
for it is to this period that we must attribute an
increasing chariness in granting the freedom of the
borough to new-comers. 441 Up to the beginning of
the 1 8th century it would appear that almost all resi-
dents obtained the freedom without difficulty. By
the middle of the century it was rarely granted to
new-comers except for the purpose of influencing
elections; and finally in 1777 the rule was laid
down 4W that none but apprentices and sons of freemen
should be admitted to the freedom. Thus in the
second half of the century a minority of the principal
merchants of the town exercised political rights in it.
This increasing restriction was peculiarly unfortunate
at a period when, owing to the rapid growth of trade,
the population was increasing with unheard-of rapidity.
But it is probably to be attributed to the very fact of
this increase of trade, the town council being
unwilling to sacrifice the large revenue which they
derived from the dues paid by non-freemen. These
dues were now for the first time becoming very
valuable ; and hence arose a new series of struggles,
due to the attempt of boroughs such as London,
Bristol and Lancaster, to obtain exemption from the
payment of dues in Liverpool under the mediaeval
charters which freed them from the payment of dues
throughout the kingdom. One such question had
6! Ret. of Memb. of Par!.
624 Even in 1710, when the Tory re-
action wa at its height ; Hist. MSS. Com.
Rep. xiv, App. iv, 579.
' See Norrit Papers (Chet. Soc. ix),
passim.
52 7The facts of Johnson's life have
been summarized by E. M. Platt, Trans.
Hist. Soc. (new ser.), rvi, 147.
SM Lanes, in 1715 (Chet. Soc. v), 4.
SM Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. viii, App. i,
47*. The reception of the 'Palatines'
was a very definite party issue ; cf. for
example, Swift's attacks on it, Examiner,
nos. 41, 45.
78;
S3 Picton, Liv. Munic. Rec.
Ware, Lanes, in 1715, passim.
681 Ware, Lanes, in 1715, 190-202;
Picton, Liv. Munic. Rec. ii, 79 ; Stuart
MSS. (Hist. MSS. Com.), ii, 232 ; Milne-
Home MSS. (Hist. MSS. Com.), 112.
5811 Picton, Li-v. Munic. Rec. ii, 105 ff.
688 Walpole, Letters (ed. Toynbee), ii,
165.
&M Picton, Liv. Munic. Rec. ii, 109 ;
Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. xv, App. vii,
334-
as Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. xiv, App. iv,
579 5 Re f>- *v, App. vii, 121-2 et passim.
' Ibid. Rep. xv, App. vii, 122-3.
687 Picton, Li-v. Munic. Rec. ii, 99.
28
588 Ibid. 89-99. For a full analysis
and description of this struggle and its
results see Muir, Hist, of Li-v. 167-73;
also Hist. Munic. Govt. in Liv. 125-8,
269,. where full excerpts from the
municipal archives are printed.
689 Picton, Li-v. Munic. Rec. ii, 101, 2 ;
A letter from Mr. Joseph Clcgg, etc. ; A
Correct Translation of the Charter etc. by
Philodemus ; and other pamphlets and MS.
by Clegg preserved in the Liverpool City
Library.
540 Hist. Munic. Govt. in Liv. 270-1.
641 For the steps in this development
see Hitt. Munic. Govt. in Liv 120-1.
542 Picton, Liv. Munic. Rec. ii, 194.
WEST DERBY HUNDRED
already been raised by the London cheesemongers in
1690 ; 543 it was revived at intervals during the cen-
tury, 544 both on behalf of the freemen of London, and
on behalf of those of other towns, and was not finally
determined till I799, 545 when after a long trial, it
was laid down that only ' freemen residing within the
liberties ' of the borough which put forward the claim
were entitled to the exemption.
All these disputes were in themselves evidences of
the growing wealth to which they were due. The
secret of this rising prosperity was that Liverpool was
in this period obtaining an increasingly large share of
the trade which was then the richest in the world
that with the West Indies, whence almost all the
sugar, tobacco, and other * colonial produce ' consumed
by Europe was derived. In comparison with the
West India trade, the trade with the American
colonies was of very small importance, and as late as
1752 only one Liverpool vessel is said to have plied
to New York. 548 Not only was there the direct trade
with the British West Indies, but, even more lucrative,
a large irregular smuggling trade with Spanish
America was carried on, in spite of the prohibition of
the Spanish government. In this traffic, the southern
ports of Bristol and London possessed at the end of
the 1 7th century a very great advantage. During
the early years of the 1 8th century Liverpool rapidly
gained at their expense. For this two reasons are
alleged. The first is that her ships were largely
manned with apprentices who received next to no
wages until they reached the age of twenty-one, and
that the customary rate of pay for the captains and
officers was lower than the rate which held in the
southern ports. 547 More important was the second
cause : namely, that the coarse stuffs of mixed linen
and cotton, or linen and woollen (linsey woolsey)
which were produced by the looms of Manchester
were in great request in the West Indian markets,
and were produced more cheaply than the correspond-
ing German goods with which the southern traders
endeavoured to supply the market. 548 Thus, as
always, the growth of Liverpool trade was concurrent
with the growth of Manchester industry. The
smuggling trade with the Spanish colonies, and the
frequent conflicts with Spanish guarda costas to which
it gave rise, ultimately led to the Spanish war of 1739,
and was almost brought to an end by an Act of
Parliament of 1747, which forbade foreign vessels to
frequent British West India ports. 549 But while it
was at its height (about 1730) this branch of trade
alone is said to have brought into Liverpool an
annual profit of 250,000 and to have consumed over
500,000 worth of Manchester goods. 550
The legitimate and illegitimate trade of the West
Indies and South America equally led on the traders
who engaged in it to the still more lucrative African
trade which could be worked in combination with it.
LIVERPOOL
It was in this period that Liverpool first entered upon
the slave trade, out of which she was to draw, during
the century, fabulous riches ; and which was to earn
for her a highly unsavoury reputation. At the end
of the century the greatness of Liverpool was generally
attributed by her own citizens as well as by others 5S1
entirely to the slave trade. Yet it was not until
the fourth decade of the century, when Liverpool
was already rapidly overtaking Bristol, that this line
of trade began to be seriously developed ; and she
had long been preceded in it by the two great
southern ports. Up to 1698 the monopoly of the
African trade had been held by the Assiento Com-
pany of London. In that year its formal monopoly
was abolished, 55 * though it still retained the sole right
of importing slaves into the Spanish dominions. In
the early years of the eighteenth century Bristol
began to compete with London led on, as Liverpool
was later to be, from the West Indies to the source
of their labour supply. Indeed the Bristol merchants
seem to have been driven to the African trade largely
by the successful competition of Liverpool in the
Spanish smuggling trade. 553 In 1709 one Liverpool
vessel of 30 tons burthen was dispatched to Africa ; 554
but the venture does not seem to have been success-
ful, probably owing to the jealousy of the Bristol and
London men, for it was not repeated for twenty
years. In 1730 an Act of Parliament for the regu-
lation of the African trade i55 established an open
company to which any person trading to Africa
might belong on payment of 40.;. The money was
to be used for the up-keep of factories on the African
coast ; and the administration of these was entrusted
to a committee of nine, consisting of three members
elected by the merchants of each of the three ports,
London, Bristol, and Liverpool. At once, under the
new system, Liverpool threw herself energetically into
the trade. In the same year, 1730, fifteen vessels of
1,1 1 1 tons were dispatched to Africa. 666 In 1752
the number had risen to eighty-eight vessels ac-
commodating nearly 25,000 slaves, 557 though it
had sunk by 1760 to seventy-four vessels of 8,178
tons. 658 In 1751 a separate Liverpool company was
established 559 by Act of Parliament. The Act states
that there were 101 African merchants in Liverpool,
but though there were 135 in London and 157 in
Bristol, ' their trade to Africa is not so extensive as
the merchants of Liverpool.' The methods and
development of this trade cannot here be described.
The materials for its history have been fully mar-
shalled by Mr. Gomer Williams, to whose valuable
book 56 the reader who is inquisitive on this subject
may be referred. But it should be noted that the
immensely lucrative character of this traffic is to be
attributed to the fact that a treble profit was made on
every voyage. The cheap guns, ornaments, and stuffs
which formed the outward cargo were exchanged for
MS Picton, Liv. Munic. Rec. i, 265,
301 ff.
M4 Ibid, ii, 21 ff. et passim.
Ibid. 212.
846 Smithers, Liverpool, 112. A useful
general description of Liverpool trade in
the 1 8th and early igth centuries, with
statistics, is contained in this book, and
indeed, forms its best feature. See also,
Kaye, Stranger in Liverpool (1825 ed.),
M ' Wallace, Central Descr. 216.
Derrick (Letters from Liv, &c. 1767)
attributes the success of Liverpool to the
fact that owing to the security of the
passage through the Irish Sea, insurance
could be dispensed with.
M8 Williams, Liv. Privateers and Slave-
trade,^. <* Ibid.
450 Edwards, Hist, of the W. Indie*.
M1 Wallace, Central Descr. 229.
Ma Williams, loc. cit.
sss Williams, op. cit. 467.
644 Troughton (Corry), Hist. Liv. 265,
gives a table of the number and tonnage of
slave-ships sailing from Liverpool from
1709 to 1807.
29
sss Williams, op. cit. 467.
Ibid. 470.
W Williamson, Liv. Memorandum Bk.
1753, gives the full list of ships and
owners for 1752. The list is reprinted
by Williams, op. cit. 675.
* 68 Troughton, loc. cit.
23 Geo. II, cap. 31. The list of
merchants incorporated in the new com-
pany is printed by Williams, op. cit. 674.
660 Hist, of the Liv. Privateers and Letter!
of Marque with an account of the Liv. Slave-
trade, Lond. 1897.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
slaves at an average cost of about 15 ; the slaves
were then shipped to Virginia or (more often) to
Kingston, Jamaica (where the Liverpool merchants
combined to maintain permanent agents) and sold at
a price which varied from 60 upwards ; the ships
were then loaded with sugar, tobacco, and other highly
saleable West Indian produce for the homeward
voyage. Comparatively few slaves were brought
home to England, though occasional advertisements
in the Liverpool papers show that a few were im-
ported before 1772, when the Somerset case made
such importations illegal. This 'great triangle' of
trade was probably the most lucrative in the history
of commerce, for its profits were not only very large
but rapid. Thus vast fortunes were made, and a
vast capital accumulated in Liverpool, much of which
went to develop other lines of trade, or to aid those
works, now beginning to be undertaken, for the im-
provement of the equipment of the port and its com-
munications with inland markets.
Of these activities the most important was the
creation of the first dock. The idea of deepening
the Pool which curved round the town and turning
it into a more effective harbour had long been enter-
tained by some of the more enterprising townsmen ;
it is alluded to by Sir Edward Moore as early as
I668. 561 But in the first years of the i8th century
the necessity of some such provision for the increasing
shipping became obvious. The first project, put for-
ward in 1 708 by a Mr. Henry Hun of Derby, 562 was
one for simply deepening and walling in the whole
length of the Pool. But in the next year Mr.
Thomas Steers, an engineer brought from London by
Sir Thomas Johnson, proposed the alternative scheme
of making a square dock with gates in the mouth of
the Pool. This proposal was accepted, and an Act
of Parliament obtained to empower the Town Council
to borrow the necessary funds and to raise dock dues
for the payment of the interest thereon. 688 The con-
struction of the dock was begun in 1710 under the
direction of Steers. It took longer, and cost more
to build, than had been anticipated ; it was opened
for use on 31 August 1715, but was not then com-
pleted, and a second Act had to be obtained in
1 7 1 6 564 to empower the council to raise additional
funds for the completion of the works. A 'dry
dock' or basin was added two years later. 565 From
the first the dock (whose site is now represented by
the Custom House) was fully used, but it was not
until 1734 s66 that the creation of a new dock, known
as the South or Salthouse Dock, was begun. This,
as there was no natural inlet to facilitate the work,
took nineteen years to build, and was not opened
until I753. 567
The beginning of the dock estate marks an epoch
in the history of the town ; it is the beginning of
modern Liverpool. The Pool, the characteristic
feature of mediaeval Liverpool, now vanishes from
the maps, leaving as its sole trace the irregularity of
the directions of the streets that had been compressed
into the triangle between it and the river. But the
creation of docks was not the only enterprise of this
period for the improvement of the port's trading
facilities. The channel of the river was buoyed and
charted ; 56S lighthouses were erected, 869 the first good
carriage roads out of the town were made with the
aid of the Town Council ; S7 the streams running
into the Mersey estuary were deepened so as to make
them navigable : the Weaver (not without opposi-
tion) in I72O, 571 the Mersey and the Irwell also in
I72O, 57 * and the Sankey Brook in 1755 ; 57S while
the deepening of the Douglas from Wigan to the
Kibble 574 cheapened the transport of coal. The
Sankey navigation, carried out seemingly by a Liver-
pool engineer, and largely financed by Liverpool
men, 575 departed frankly from the line of the original
brook, and so foreshadowed the era of canals.
The increment of trade which produced all these
activities may be indicated by the single fact that
during the first half of the i8th century the shipping
of the port rose from seventy ships with 800 men .(in
1700) to 220 ships with 3,319 men in 1751.*".
In the same period the population rose from 5,000
(est.) in 1700 to 18,000 (est.) in I75O. 57S New
local industries were also created or greatly developed
in this period : shipbuilding, sugar refining, rope-
making, iron-working, watch-making, and pottery, all
flourished. 579 In pottery, in particular, Liverpool
enjoyed in this age a brief eminence. By the middle
of the 1 8th century, therefore, the town was already
vigorous and thriving ; rejoicing especially in its re-'
cently acquired mastery of the most lucrative trade in
the world.
In the second half of the 1 8th century the com-
mercial triumph of Liverpool was secured. This
was due to several causes, the first of which was the
effect of the wars which almost filled this age.
In the Spanish War of 1739 and the War of the
Austrian Succession into which it merged, Liverpool
seems to have taken comparatively little part, though
she had shared so largely in the irregular traffic of the
South Seas from which it sprang. Four or five
privateers are known to have plied from the town,
and they made a number of valuable captures ; sw
but the non-existence of local newspapers during this
period makes it difficult to discover the exact extent
of these privateering activities. On the other hand
103 Liverpool vessels are known to have been cap-
tured by the enemy. 581 Nevertheless the port profited
exceedingly from the war, owing to the comparative
security of the route through the Irish Sea. A local
observer writes in 1753 that the war had brought
such wealth that if it had lasted ' seven years longer
it would have enlarged the size and riches of the
town to a prodigious degree . . . Trade since the
late peace has not been so brisk as formerly.' 58S War
therefore was welcomed in Liverpool.
From the Seven Years' War the town derived even
481 Moore, Rental (ed. W. F. Irvine),
104 et passim.
M1 Picton, Liv. Munic. Rec. ii, 47.
** 8 Anne, cap. 12; Picton, Liv.
Munic. Rec. ii, 48. s ' 4 3 Geo. I, cap. i.
MS Picton, Liv. Munic. Rec. ii, 141.
** Ibid. 133, 143.
W Ibid. * Ibid. 49.
* Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. viii, App. i,
395*-
870 Picton, Liv. Munic. Rec. ii, 63 ;
Acts of 12 Geo. I, cap. 21 ; 19 Geo. II,
cap. 19 ; 26 Geo. II, cap. 65.
871 Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. viii, App. i,
396^ ; 7 Geo. I, cap. 10 ; 7 Geo. II,
cap. 28.
s " 2 7 Geo. I, cap. 15.
V* 28 Geo. II, cap. 8 ; z Geo. Ill,
cap. 56.
874 6 Geo. I, cap. 28.
30
575 Picton, Liv. Munic. Rec. ii, 144 j
Brooke, Liv. in the xviii Cent. 105-6.
877 Smithers, Lw. 185. Wlbid. 195-6.
879 Williamson, Liv. Memorandum Bk.
(1753).
880 Williams, Hist, of Liv. Privateers,
39, 40.
681 Ibid. App. i, p. 659.
ssa Williamson, Liv. Memorandum Bk.
1753-
WEST DERBY HUNDRED
LIVERPOOL
greater advantages. Though Thurot, 553 a brilliant
French privateer, found his way into the Irish Sea,
and in 1758 and 1759 caused much alarm in the
Mersey, rendering necessary the fortification of the
port, 584 and though ninety -eight Liverpool vessels
were during the course of the war captured by the
French, 585 the activity of the Liverpool traders in
privateering was vastly greater than it had ever been
before, and their captures were on the whole exceed-
ingly valuable. It is not possible to state the exact
number of ships employed ; 5S6 but it was very large,
and these years in particular were distinguished by
the activity of William Hutchinson, perhaps the
boldest and most successful of Liverpool privateers. 567
The result of the war was practically to sweep French
commerce from Atlantic waters, and to establish
English ascendancy in the West Indies almost as
completely as on the North American continent.
In the commercial gains which thus accrued Liverpool
had the lion's share.
In the War of the American Revolution the port
suffered very seriously. Not only was trade with the
revolted colonies practically stopped, but American
privateers made West Indian waters unsafe, and under
Paul Jones even ravaged the coasts of Britain, 588
while the commerce of the Americans themselves was
of such negligible amount as to make privateering use-
less. 569 ' Our once extensive trade with Africa is at a
stand ; all commerce with America is at an end,' and
the * gallant ships ' were ' laid up and useless ' in the
docks. 590 During the war the population actually de-
creased, and the shipping of the port diminished from
84,792 to 79,450 tons. 5 " 1 The distress thus caused
led to grave riots, the most serious of which broke out
in 1775, when 3,000 unemployed sailors laid siege to
the Town Hall, and terrorized the town for a week. 491
The regular troops of the garrison had to be distri-
buted through the town. 498 Nevertheless the town
took a vigorous and patriotic part in the war. A
large fort with barracks was erected on the north
shore, where the Prince's Dock now is ; 59< a regiment
of regular troops known as the Liverpool Blues was
raised, mainly at the cost of the Corporation it was
employed in the garrisoning of Jamaica ; 596 a corps of
local volunteers was also raised in 1782 ; 696 while the
pressgang found a field in Liverpool for its unpopular
.activity. 697 When in 1778 France and later Spain
and Holland joined in the war, privateering once
more became a profitable pursuit, and provided em-
ployment for idle ships ; no less than 120 privateers, 698
of 31,000 tons, were plying from Liverpool within a
year of the French declaration of war, and nearly
9,000 sailors thus found employment. 599 The years
from 1778 to 1782 were the period of Liverpool's
greatest activity in privateering ; 60 ' the merchants
of Liverpool,' we are told, 'have entered more
into the spirit of arming ships than any others in
England ' ; 601 and many brilliant feats are recorded,
of which no account can here be given. Some hun-
dreds of French prisoners occupied during these years
the old tower and the powder magazine in Brownlow
Hill. 603
The profits of privateering, however, great as they
were, were a poor consolation for the almost com-
plete destruction of trade. The declaration of peace
was immediately followed by a great revival, and the
decade, 1783-93, was an era of amazingly rapid
advance. 603 The French Revolutionary War did not
at first interrupt this advance, but rather accentu-
ated it. Though it at first caused a commercial panic,
which rendered necessary the issue of Corporation
notes under Parliamentary powers, 601 this was tempo-
rary only ; and the port gained far more by the
destruction of French trade than it lost by the dislo-
cation of its commerce caused by the war. At the
outset of the war privateering was again actively under-
taken ; 60S but it never attained the same dimensioni
as during the American War, because there were not
so many idle vessels to welcome this mode of employ-
ment ; and after a few years privateering almost
ceased, for the very satisfactory reason that there
were so few ships belonging to France and her allies
on the seas as to make it an unprofitable enter-
prise. 606 French privateers made the seas dangerous,
and trading vessels had to be prepared to fight
unless they sailed in large convoys ; W7 many hun-
dreds, perhaps thousands, of Liverpool sailors were
captured by the enemy and peopled French prisons,
from which they sometimes made daring escapes* 01
On the other hand French prisoners in large num-
bers (4,009 in 1799) were immured in the gaol in
Great Howard Street, and formed a feature of Liver-
pool life. 609
Deprived to a large extent of the excitement of
privateering, the military enthusiasm of the turbulent
Liverpool population found other vents. The press-
gang was a continual terror, and its ravages frequently
passed all reasonable bounds. 610 The fort was strength-
ened and armed with fifty guns, while batteries were
erected at the mouths of the docks. 611 Large forces of
volunteers and yeomanry were raised ; 61S in 1 804
1 80 officers and 3,686 men were reviewed. 613 A
688 Williams, op. cit. 172 and passim.
684 Picton, Liv. Munic. Rec. ii, 120 }
Derrick, Letters from Liv. &c.
585 Williams, op. cit. App. iii, 665.
588 Mr. Williams has collected a large
amount of material bearing upon this
period, op. cit. 79-178.
58 7 Williams, op. cit. I27ff.
588 Brooke, Li-v. in the last quarter of the
x-viii Cent. 365-6 ; Williams, op. cit. 223,
262 ; Mahan, Infl. of Sea-power.
589 Nevertheless, it was carried on not
without success; cf. Hist. MSS. Com. Rep.
xv, App. vi, 371.
590 Liv. General Advertiser, 29 Sept.
775-
691 Williams, op. cit. 181.
5M Brooke, Liv. in the last quarter of the
jcviii Cent. 328 ff.
593 Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. xv, App. v, 152.
894 Picton, Rec. ii, 181-3; Brooke,
op. cit. 371.
595 Brooke, Liv. in tht last quarter
of tht xviii Ctnt. 339, 379; Amer. MS.
in Royal Inst. (Hist. MSS. Com.), i,
178.
698 Brooke, op. cit. 372 ; Williams, op.
cit. 319.
M ? Williams, op. cit. 189-302, collects
many examples from contemporary news-
papers and other sources.
"< Ibid. 183.
Ibid. 20.
800 Ibid. 183.
801 St. Vincent Gazette, ^ Mar. 1778,
apud Williams, 215.
603 Brooke, op. cit. 135.
60S Thus the number of ships engaged
in the slave trade, which had sunk as low
as ii (tonnage 1,205) m T 779> rose at
3 1
once to 85 (12,294) in 1783, and to 132
(22,402) in 1792.
804 33 Geo. Ill, cap. 31 ; Picton, Li-v.
Munic. Rec. ii, 251-2; Hughes, Liv. Banks
and Bankers, 14458.
60s Williams, op. cit. 315.
806 Ibid. 316.
8 7 Williams, op. cit. 306 ; Picton, Liv.
Munic. Rec. ii, 189.
608 Seacome Ellison, Prison Scenes, gives
a typical narrative of such an escape.
609 Brooke, op. cit. 489 ; Troughton,
Hist. Li-v. 226.
810 Williams, op. cit. passim ; for a
peculiarly flagrant episode, see Liv. Ad-
vertiser, 19 May 1794.
411 Picton, Liv. Munic. Rec. ii, 254,
287.
612 Brooke, pp. cit. 434.
618 Liv. Advertiser, 1 1 Jan. 1 804.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
regiment of regulars was, after the peace of Amiens, en-
listed in the town at the expense of Mr. John Bolton, 6 "
a wealthy merchant ; and the Duke of Gloucester 61 '
took up his quarters at San Domingo House, Everton,
to command all these forces.
The first part of the war unquestionably told
heavily in favour of Liverpool trade, in spite of the
commercial insecurity caused by the ever-present risk
of capture. In the second period Napoleon's conti-
nental system i nflicted grave hardship, especially severely
felt by the poor of the town ; "' and its result, the
American War of 1812, which produced a swarm of
dangerous American privateers, 617 was disastrous in its
effects : the number of ships entering the port declin-
ing from 6,729 in 1810 to 4,599 in i3i2. 618 Yet
even this struggle ultimately tended to the increase of
Liverpool's trade, by driving finally all rival shipping
from the seas ; at the end of the period of war in
1815, Liverpool found herself practically absolute
mistress of the trade between America and Europe.
While the wars were securing to Liverpool the
dominance of the Atlantic trade, the other main
source of her wealth, the industries of Lancashire,
were being transformed. The amazing story of the
great inventions and the great development of roads
amd canals of this period concern Lancashire at large
and the whole of England. But it should be noted
that no town more directly profited by these develop-
ments than Liverpool, for almost the whole of the
districts most affected by the new inventions lay with-
in a hundred miles of her harbour ; while the canals
and roads made communication with them easy, and
for the first time overcame that geographical isolation
which had been the main obstacle to her progress.
For this reason the merchants at Liverpool took an
immense part in devising and carrying through these
nterprises, and much of the capital for the new canals
was supplied by the wealth earned in the slave trade
or the trade with America.
Concurrently with these movements, the same
period saw a remarkable development of foreign mar-
kets. The great expansion of the United States into
the Middle West 619 began in the last years of the 1 8th
century, and was much stimulated by the Louisiana
purchase ; emigration on a large scale, caused by the
distress which accompanied the Industrial Revolution,
helped to fill up these lands ; they provided new
sources of raw materials, and it was in this period, in
particular, that the supply of raw cotton began to be
derived mainly from the Southern States ; as late as
1784 it was so exclusively drawn from the West
Indies that a custom-house officer is said to have seized
a small consignment brought in an American vessel
on the ground that its importation was an infringe-
ment of the Navigation Acts. 6 * At the end of the
period (in 1813) the trade with the East Indies,
hitherto confined to the East India Company, was
thrown open, and in 1814 the first Liverpool ships
rounded the Cape of Good Hope. 6 " In a few years
India had become one of the principal markets for the
goods exported from Liverpool. The period of the
Revolutionary wars also saw Spanish America thrown
open to trade. When Napoleon took possession of
Spain the Spanish colonies declined to accept his rule,
threw off the close restrictions which the mother-
country had imposed upon their trade ; and, on the
restoration of peace, declined to return to their allegi-
ance, mainly because they were unwilling to sacrifice
their newly-acquired commercial freedom. From the
first Liverpool controlled the bulk of this rapidly ex-
panding South American trade, 6 " which she has held
ever since ; and it is more than a coincidence that
Canning, the minister responsible for the British
recognition of the Spanish- American colonies in 1825,
had himself been member for Liverpool for ten year*
(1812-22). Thus during the years when the com-
merce of rival nations was being driven from the
Atlantic mainly to the advantage of Liverpool, the un-
exampled development of the industrial and mineral
advantages of Lancashire and the northern midlands
was supplying the Liverpool merchants with an inex-
haustible supply of goods for export, and the expan-
sion of America and the opening of trade to India and
South America were providing enormous new markets.
It is not surprising that the trade of the port advanced
with a rapidity hitherto unknown in English history,
and that the population of the port grew concurrently.
The growth of trade during this period is indicated
by the fact that the gross tonnage owned in the port,
19,175 in 1751, had risen to 72,730 in 1787,10
129,470 in 1801. Other figures tell the same tale.
During the period 17561815 four new docks and
two tidal basins were opened. The dock area of the
port, less than 30 acres in 1756, had risen to over
50 acres in 1815. Still more rapid was the expansion
of the next period, as the table on p. 42 will show.
During the same period several local industries rose to
their highest prosperity, and then decayed and
vanished destroyed mainly by that localization of
industrial functions and that growing ease of com-
munication which were the principal causes of Liver-
pool's commercial ascendancy. Thus shipbuilding was
at its height in the last quarter of the 1 8th century ; 6W
it decayed thereafter. The Greenland fishery, 6 **
which began for Liverpool in 1764, and in 1788
employed 21 ships, had almost vanished by 1815, as
had the oil-refining industry to which it gave birth.
The curing-houses for herring, 61 * which carried on a
large export trade with the Mediterranean, were at
their height about 1770, but had almost vanished by
1815. Two or three iron foundries existed in the
town in the same period ; M6 they were driven out of
work by the competition of the coalfield towns. The
pottery industry also came to an end during these
years. 6 "
The destruction of productive industries is indeed
a feature of this period. It did not interfere with the
growth of the town's wealth or population, but it left
814 Picton, Mem. i, 301 ; Liv. Adver-
tiser, 30 May, 1803.
414 Picton, Liv. Munic. Rec. ii, 289-90.
614 Ibid, ii, 3 i i ; Liv. Courier, i Feb.
1809; Liv. Advertiser, 25 Nov. i8n
it passim.
"7 Williams, op. cit. 442-9.
618 Ibid. 407. For the general effects
on price* and trade in Liverpool see
Ewart, Rutson's trade circular, quoted in
Baines' Liverpool, 738-41. For insu-
rance rates, M crcury, 13 May 1813.
619 For a fuller summary of these causes
of development, see Muir, Hist, of Liv.
chap. xiv.
420 Smithers, Liverpool, 124.
421 Ibid. 1 60. Within seven years
the port possessed one-seventh of the
total British trade with India. Ibid.
161.
32
622 Ibid. 163.
6M Smithers, Commerce of Liv. 190 j
[Wallace], General Deter : iSoff.
634 Brooke, op. cit. 241 ; Smithers,
Commerce of Liv. 97-8.
625 Smithers, Commerce of Liv. 95 ;.
[Wallace], General Descr. (1795), 26.
424 [Wallace] and Smithers, loc. cit.
62 7 Brooke, op. cit. 248 ; J. Mayer,.
Liv. Pottery.
WEST DERBY HUNDRED
LIVERPOOL
it entirely dependent upon sea-borne commerce, and
imposed upon it the specific social characteristics in-
volved in that fact.
The growth of population in this period was very
rapid. About 20,000 in 1751, it was 60,000 in
1791, 77,000 in 1801, 94,000 in 1811, 118,000 in
1821. The last two figures do not fully represent
the actual growth, for the town had by this time
overpassed the limits of the old township, especially
on the south and on the north-east, and very popu-
lous suburbs had been created in Toxteth and
Everton, which contained in 1831 a population of
40,000.
The great inrush of new inhabitants represented by
these figures came from all parts of the United King-
dom. A writer of 1795 notes 'the great influx of
Irish and Welsh, of whom the majority of the inhabi-
tants at present consists.' 628 There were also many
Scots, especially among the captains of ships and the
heads of great trading-houses. Irish immigration
became still more vigorous after the rising of 1798,
though it was not to reach its height until the potato-
famine of 1846. Though the town was expanding
geographically with great rapidity, building did not
go on fast enough to accommodate the numerous im-
migrants. They were crowded together in the most
horrible way in the older part of the town ; in 1 790
it was calculated 6S9 that over one-ninth of the popu-
lation lived in cellars, at the rate of four persons to
each cellar. 630 In the new quarters built for the re-
ception of these immigrants the building was so shoddy
that a storm in 1823 blew many of the houses
down ; 6SI there were no building regulations, and the
houses were erected back to back, without adequate
provision for air and light, and almost without any
sanitary arrangements ; it is with these slum areas
that the government of the city has been struggling
ever since. Most of the streets were unsewered. The
water supply was exceedingly scanty ; before 1 800
water was sold from carts ; 63Z after the institution of
the two water companies in 1799 os and i8o2, 634 the
supply, being conducted for a commercial profit, was
naturally inadequate in the poorer quarters. Public-
houses were extraordinarily numerous ; as early as
1772 the Town Council had to urge the magistrates
to reduce the number, 634 and in 1795 it was calcu-
lated that one house in every seven was licensed for
the sale of strong drink. 636
Overcrowded, unhealthy, dirty and drunken, the
population of the town was also very turbulent, as
might be expected from the influence upon them of
the slave traders and the privateers-men. The police
arrangements were quite inadequate. Under an Act
of 1 74S, 637 which established a commission, indepen-
dent of the Town Council, for the watching, lighting,
and cleansing of the town, the police force consisted
of sixty night watchmen ; the number was increased
under the Act of I 788, 638 but no day police was pro-
vided until 1 8 1 1 , when the Town Council divided
the borough into seven districts and allotted three
constables to each. 639
Thus the evils which had followed the sudden
growth of wealth and population seemed to outweigh
its advantages. This was in part due to the fact that
the system of borough government had been in no
way adapted to the new conditions. 640 The self-
elected Town Council still continued in absolute con-
trol of the corporate estate, including the docks, and
still possessed the power of regulating the trade of the
port. It regarded itself merely as the trustee of the
body of freemen, which now formed only a small
part, and by no means the most important part, of
the population. Even the freemen's privileges, how-
ever, were limited to the right of voting in the elec-
tion of mayor, bailiffs, and members of Parliament,
and to exemption from the payment of town dues.
They were admitted to no further share in the
government of the borough, and hence arose, under
the influence of the French Revolution, a new chal-
lenge to the authority of the council, and a new
attempt to establish that of the assembly of burgesses.
Begun in I79I, 641 it was brought into the law courts,
where a verdict was three times given in favour of
the claims of the assembly. The council, however,
was always able to claim a new trial on technical
grounds, and in the end the attack on their position
was abandoned, partly because private resources were
unable to stand the conflict with public funds, partly
because the reaction against the French Revolution
distracted support from this quasi-democratic move-
ment, Liverpool had, indeed, by this time become
very firmly Tory, and the change in its politics from
the Whiggism of the previous age is one of the most
curious features of the period. It seems to have
begun in the early years of George III, when the
Town Council took the side of the king in the
Wilkes struggle, sending up addresses of support. 64 *
The body of burgesses still, however, remained pre-
dominantly Whig, as is shown by the continual elec-
tion of Sir William Meredith as member until 1780,
At the outset of the American struggle addresses of
protest against the policy of government were sent
from Liverpool, 841 but the Town Council and the
mass of the burgesses very loyally supported the war, 644
and in spite of the distress which it caused, its pro-
gress only made the town more Tory. 644 The first
888 [Wallace], General Descr. 267.
629 Ibid.
480 Ibid. 69.
881 Smithers, Commerce of Li-v. 227 ;
Picton, Liv. Munic. Rec. ii.
63a [Wallace], General Descr. 88.
688 Bootle Company, instituted by 39
Geo. Ill, cap. 36, under the title of the
Company of Proprietors of the Liverpool
Waterworks, powers enlarged by 50
Geo. Ill, cap. 165, and 53 Geo. Ill, cap.
122 ; Brooke, Li-v. in last Quarter of the
x-viii Cent, 387.
684 The Corporation obtained power to
contract for the supply of water by 26
Geo. Ill, cap. 12. A company was
formed to carry out the work, which was
incorporated as the Liverpool Corporation
Waterworks Co. by 3 Geo. IV, cap. 77 ;
its powers were extended and its title
altered to the Liverpool and Harrington
Waterworks Co. by 7 & 8 Geo. IV,
cap. 36.
485 Picton, Li-v. Munic. Rec. ii, 2O2.
686 [Wallace], General Descr. 185.
"7 21 Geo. II, cap. 24.
688 28 Geo. Ill, cap. 13.
689 Picton, Lii>. Munic. Rec. ii, 317;
see also 201-2.
640 On the characteristics of the old
system of borough government in its
latest form, see Hist. Munic. Go-vt. in Li-v.
n8ff. and I37ff.
841 Hist. Munic. Go-vt. in Li-v. 129 ;
Picton, Li-v. Munic. Rec. ii, 203 ff. ; Pro-
ceedings at an Action at Law brought by
33
the Mayor and Burgesses, &c. (1796) ;
Brooke, Li-v. in the last Quarter of the x-viii
Cent. 22-4 ff.
Ma Picton, Liv. Munic. Rec. ii, 179.
For a summary of the political history of
the town, see Muir, Hist, of Li-v. i62ff.
215 ff.
848 Picton, Li-v. Munic. Rec. ii, 178-9 5
Hist. MSS. Com. Ref. xiv, App. ix, 299.
Dartmouth received the freedom for hav-
ing supported the repeal of the Stamp
Act, Hiit. MSS. Com. Ref. xiv, App.
*, 47-
644 Brooke, op. cit. 326 ; Picton, Liv.
Munic. Rec. ii, 180; Hist. MSS. Com. Ref.
xiv, App. x, 380.
645 Cf. result of the election of 1784 ;
Poll-book and squibs.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
events of the French Revolution revived Whiggism
for a time, 646 but the reaction after the September
massacres completed the Tory victory; and the group
of leading Whigs who surrounded Roscoe had to
withdraw from public life. 647 In the first years of the
new century Whiggism held up its head again.
Roscoe was returned to Parliament in i8o6, M8 but
mainly on the ground of his local popularity, and the
votes which he cast against the slave trade and for
Catholic emancipation earned him an unpopularity
which expressed itself in riots on his return to Liver-
pool. 649 During the struggle on the slave trade ques-
tion, indeed, Liverpool had been absolutely committed
to the support of the party from which alone it had
any prospect of the maintenance of its most lucrative
traffic, 640 while the inrush of Catholic Irish, having
produced already the characteristic Orangeism of the
Protestant population, formed another motive to
Toryism. Not even the unpopularity of the Orders
in Council sufficed to enable Brougham (who had
been mainly identified with the opposition to them)
to defeat Canning in the fiercely-fought election of
1 8 1 2, 641 and Liverpool remained steadily Tory down
to the eve of the Reform Act.
Alongside of its more unpleasant developments,
this period witnessed the rise of many promising
movements. The administration of the Poor Law 6M
was undertaken with exceptional vigour and enlight-
enment, and while in other suddenly-grown industrial
and commercial towns the old administrative fabric of
the annual Easter vestry and the elected overseers
broke down completely, in Liverpool there was
gradually developed a system of government through
an annually elected committee, which regulated extra-
legally the work of the overseers with such success
that Liverpool has been described as the model urban
poor-law district of this period. The chief credit for
the successful establishment of this system, which had
assumed its final form by 1775, belongs to Mr. Joseph
Brooks, who as unpaid treasurer from 1768 to 1788
exercised almost absolute authority over the affairs of
the parish. It was under his direction that in 1770
the new workhouse in Brownlow Hill was erected ; 84S
it was on the whole so well administered that the poor
rates in a town where poverty was more widespread
than in most others never rose beyond 3/. gd. 6M in
the even in the height of the Revolutionary war.
The committee, that is to say, kept itself free from the
extravagant and mischievous methods of indiscriminate
relief which were general throughout England from
1795 onwards. This remarkable success is mainly to
be attributed to the work of a group of public-spirited
citizens, among whom may be named Dr. Currie, the
friend of Roscoe. 664
The Evangelical revival affected Liverpool deeply.
Wesley visited the town several times, 656 with con-
siderable effect, and within the Church of England the
Evangelical party became dominant in the town. 647
This was a period of great activity in church building,
as will be seen later. It was also a period of con-
siderable activity in the provision of schools for the
poor, 658 a movement which was carried on in Liver-
pool in the last twenty years of the century with a
concerted activity greater than was displayed in most
other towns. An eager charity, too, was born, 659 the
expression of that new humanitarian spirit, born of
the Evangelical revival, of which another expression
was to be found in the movement for the abolition
of the slave trade. In Roscoe, William Rathbone,
Currie, Rushton, and others, Liverpool provided
some of the most vigorous apostles of this reform ;
their courage is the more noteworthy because the
popular feeling of the town was, naturally, intensely
strong on the other side.
The period witnessed also a remarkable intellectual
revival. This showed itself in the wit and humour of
the numerous squibs issued during parliamentary elec-
tions, 660 many of which still retain some of their salt ;
it showed itself in that keen interest in the history and
antiquities of the borough which produced no less
than four Histories of Liverpool between 1 770 and
I823, 661 and was still more profitably displayed in the
learning of Henry Brown 66 * the attorney, which illu-
minates the trials on the powers of the Town Council
in 1791, in the researches of Matthew Gregson,
whose Portfolio of Fragments was published in 1819,
and above all in the monumental collections made by
Charles Okill, which are still preserved in the muni-
cipal archives and have formed the basis of all later
work on the history of the borough. But above all
these newborn intellectual interests were fostered by
the circle of illuminati which surrounded William
Roscoe, and of which no detailed account can here
be given. 663 Roscoe himself wrote lives of Lorenzo
de' Medici and of Leo X which were hailed with
delight throughout Europe ; he produced also a great
monograph on the Monandrian plants, a good deal of
verse, and a large number of pamphlets, including
some very enlightened speculations on Penal Juris-
prudence ; he took a profound interest in the fine
arts, and himself did some etching ; he threw himself
into the movement for agricultural improvements ; he
corresponded with many of the leading men of his
day ; he formed a noble library and a fine collection
of pictures. His friend William Shepherd, 664 Uni-
tarian minister of Gateacre, wrote a life of
Poggio Bracciolini which is still valuable. Dr.
James Currie, 665 besides taking up poor-law admini-
< Life ofW. Rotcoe, i, 99 ff. ; Life ofj.
Currie, passim.
W Ibid.
* Poll-book and gquibi of the elec-
tion.
Life ofW. Roscoe, i, 392 ff.
480 Cf. the addresses of the corporation,
on, and grants of freedom for, energy in
thii cause the defence of the slave trade;
Picton, Li-v. Munic. Rec. ii, 220, 347,
&c.
* 51 Poll-books and squibs of the elec-
tion ; Creevey Papers.
* M The administration of the Poor Law
in Liverpool is the theme of an admirable
chapter by S. and B. Webb, Hist, Local
Govt. i, 130 ff. An edition of full extracts
from the Vestry Minutes, with introduction
by W. L. Blease, is in preparation.
668 Picton, Li-v. Munic. Rec. ii, 1 60;
Vestry Minutes s.d. ; Brooke, Lii>. in the
last Quarter of the x-viii Cent. 69, 70.
This building replaced one in College
Lane dating from 1732.
654 Vestry Minutes, April 1802 and
passim.
6 - 5 W. W. Currie, Life of James Currie,
passim.
656 Tyerman, Life of Wesley, ii, 1 96,
274, 328, 566, &c. ; Wesley's Journal.
657 See Morley's Life of Gladstone, i,
chaps, i, ii.
658 Picton, Liv. Munic. Rec. ii, 284 ;
34
Brooke, Liv. in the last Quarter of the x-viit
Cent. 380 ; Smithers, Li-v. 243 ff.
659 See the list of charities below.
660 See the Poll-books and Collections
of Squibs of the various elections, especi-
ally those of 1806 and 1812. An account
of these effusions is given by Picton,
Memorials, i, 347.
681 By W. Enfield (1773), J. Wallace
(published anonymously, 1795), J. Corry
(known by the name of its first publisher,
Troughton, 1810), H. Smithers (1825).
668 For Brown, see G. T. Shaw in
Trans. Hist. Soc. (new ser.), xvi, 77.
663 Life of W. Roscoe, by his son, 2 vols.
664 Diet. Nat. Blog.
665 W . W- Currie, Life ofj. Currie.
LIVERPOOL : NORTH SHORE MILL
(From a Water-colour Drawing c, 1860)
WEST DERBY HUNDRED
stration, was the friend and biographer of Burns.
Others also might be named if space allowed. 666
Under the encouragement of this group of friends
Liverpool became for a time a centre of fine printing
and of exquisite bookbinding ; 667 Roscoe had his own
books printed in his own town. From this intel-
lectual revival proceeded a remarkable group of public
institutions. The Liverpool Library, founded as early
as I758, 668 became a thriving institution. 669 The
Athenaeum was founded in 1798 67 as a library for
scholars, and was later enriched by many of Roscoe's
books. The Botanic Gardens were instituted in
i8o3. 671 The Medical Library came to birth in
I775. 67S Finally, the Royal Institution, meant to be
the focus for every kind of intellectual interest, was
projected in 1813 and opened in i8i7. 673 These
promising beginnings did not lead to any very striking
results ; partly, no doubt, because they were not
spontaneous, but were due to the accidental presence
in uncongenial surroundings of a group of fine spirits;
partly because they were swamped by the flood of
growing wealth ; partly because the coming of the
railway imposed, during the greater part of the
I gth century, the intellectual dominance of the
metropolis upon the provincial towns.
The twenty years which followed the great war saw
a steady expansion of foreign trade less swift, indeed,
than had been expected ; but more steady in Liver-
pool than in England at large. The course of this
expansion may be best indicated by the figures of
entrances and clearances 674 of vessels engaged in the
foreign trade :
Entrances
Clearances
Total
Ships
Tonnage
Ships
Tonnage
Ships
Tonnage
1816. .
i,340
300,673
1,606
341,39
2,946
642,063
1821 . .
i,770
3 9 ',473
i,9i3
403,626
3,683
795,159
1826. .
2,067
480,944
2,132
479,409
4,199
960,353
1831 . .
2,840
678,965
3,037
718,987
5,877
1,397,952
1835. .
2,978
787,009
3,065
796,766
6,043
i,583775
But the principal interest of these years is to be
found rather in the signs of coming political change
which they exhibited, and which resulted from the
expansion of the earlier period, than in the proof
that the earlier causes of prosperity were still at
work. Though Liverpool remained predominantly
LIVERPOOL
Tory in sentiment until the eve of the Reform Bill,
the twenty years which followed tKe war saw many
movements towards change, and an increasingly clear
realization of the necessity of recasting the traditional
system of administration. It was, indeed, with the
left or progressive wing of the Tory party that the
town was associated ; as is ihown by the election of
Canning by large majorities from 1812 to 1822 and of
Huskisson from 1822 to 1830 beyond comparison the
most distinguished politicians who have ever repre-
sented Liverpool. 674 * The steady growth of the popu-
lation of the town, which, with its suburbs, had reached
the figure of 205,000 in 1831, and the expansion of
trade, which has been already summarized, made the
earlier system of administration impossible. These
ysars witnessed an awakening on the part of the Town
Council to a keener sense of its responsibilities, as is
shown by the large schemes of public improvements
for which parliamentary authority was obtained ; 67i by
the establishment in 1826 of two elementary schools
in the north and south of the borough, 676 at the ex-
pense of the corporation, as a sort of compensation for
the old grammar school which had been suppressed in
1802 ; 6 " by the purchase of lands on a large scale in
Birkenhead 678 with a view to preventing the creation
of a rival port, and providing for the possible future
requirements of Liverpool trade ; and by great activity
in the extension of the docks, which were increased
between 1815 and 1835 from 50 acres to 80 acres
of area. The rise of a demand for change is perhaps
most clearly seen in the discussions on the administra-
tion of the Dock Estate, hitherto under the absolute
control of the corporation, which led in 1825 to the
addition to the Dock Committee of representatives of
ratepayers using the docks. 679 The same kind of dis-
content was shown in the attempt of a number of
non-freemen ratepayers to escape from the payment of
town dues, which led to long litigation extending
from 1830 to i833. 6SO But the most serious aspect
of the situation was the fact that the council, regard-
ing itself simply as the trustee for the property of the
body of freemen, had allowed many of the main
functions of urban government to slip, wholly or
partially, out of its hands. Thus the control of the
watching, lighting, and cleansing of the streets had
been since 1748 under the control of a separate com-
mission 681 consisting partly of the mayor and some of
the borough magistrates, partly of representatives
of the ratepayers elected at the annual Easter vestry ;
while the control of sewerage, except in the ' old
streets/ had recently been vested in another commis-
sion. 681
The corporation had since the iyth century
ceased to raise rates, and all public functions which
necessitated the raising of rates were performed by
664 About 150 volumes printed or pub-
lished in Liverpool between 1770 and
1800 are catalogued in the admirable Cat.
of tht Collection of Liv. Prints and Docu-
ments issued by the City Library, 1908.
These include nineteen volumes of poems,
fifteen of history and biography, an edition
of Burns in four volumes, many volumes
on politics, Sec., &c.
M 7 Ibid. J. McCreery's printing in
this period has not since been surpassed.
668 Brooke, op. cit. 89-92 ; papers in
Trans. Hist. Soc. ix, xxii. This library
claims to be the oldest circulating library
in England.
I6 [Wallace] General Descr., 171.
*7 Shaw, Hist, of the Athenaeum, Liv.
(1898).
6? 1 Life of Roscoe, i, 253 ff; Smithers, op.
cit. 367.
6 ? 3 Smithers, op. cit. 366 ; Bickerton,
Hist, of the Lii>. Medical Inst.
6 ' 3 Life of Roscoe, ii, 151 ff.
6 ? 4 Compiled from the Reports on
Trade and Navigation laid before the
Houses of Parliament, 1 847. The figures
for the coasting trade which are omitted
would, of course, enormously increase
these totals ; but it is the foreign trade
that forms the best barometer of Liver-
pool's prosperity.
74a q^e poll-books and squibs, espe-
35
cially for the hard-fought elections of 1 8 1 2,
1818, 1820, provide excellent illustrations
of the sentiments of the borough.
6 ' 5 i Geo. IV, cap. 13, and 7 Geo. IV,
cap. 57.
'7* Picton, Ltv. Munic. Rec. ii, 395.
6 ?7 Ibid. 394. 6 ' 8 Ibid. 343, 345.
6 ?9 26 Geo. IV, cap. 43. For discussions
see Munic. Corp. Com. : Rep. of Proc. in
Li-v. t passim.
680 Report of the resistance of payment
of town dues in Liverpool by Bolton and
others, 1835.
681 Under 21 Geo. II, cap. 24.
683 Under a special local Act, i Will. IV,.
cap. 15.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
other public bodies of limited powers, so that there
was no single body responsible for the general over-
sight of the health and well-being of the town. The
corporation, while, as we have seen, it retained con-
trol of public improvements and of the dock estate,
had to perform these functions out of the revenue
from its estate and from the town dues and other tradi-
tional payments, and as these were inadequate to the
purpose these functions had not been fully performed,
while their partial performance had formed so grave a
strain upon the resources of the corporation that the
value of the borough estate had been seriously dimin-
ished. 685 But for this condition of things the borough
might very well have been the owner of the greater
part of the land on which it was built ; as it was, a
large part of the corporate estate, secured originally by
the burgesses' usurpation of the waste in the I5th
century, had been sold to meet the corporate debt. 684
Finally, the exclusive political privileges of the free-
men and their exemption from the payment of town
dues had become an anomaly and an injustice, be-
cause the body of freemen, which since 1777 had
not been increased except by the customary modes
of inheritance or service, no longer at all repre-
sented the community. There were in 1833 only
3,000 freemen 684 out of a population of 165,000,
and many of the 3,000 were non-resident. This
number included few of the principal merchants,
and only seven out of the zoo doctors practising
in the town. 688 It was composed principally of
artisans, to whom their privileges were chiefly valu-
able for the money to be made out of them in
bribes at elections. Hence Liverpool had become
so notorious for its political corruption that in 1830
a bill for the disfranchisement of the borough was
only prevented by the prorogation of Parliament from
passing into law. 687
The unsatisfactoriness of the old institutions was
$hown also in the sphere of poor-law administration,
which had been perhaps the most efficient department
of borough government. The committee which had
for so long controlled the administration of the Poor
Law was not recognized by law, and was liable at any
time to be overridden by the overseers, if they chose
to disregard its orders. In 1814 the committee tried
in vain to persuade the open vestry to make an
application for a private Act legalizing their posi-
tion ; 6S8 after two years' discussion the proposal was
rejected, 689 and in 1 8 1 7 a Mr. Dennison, being elected
overseer, justified these fears by paying no attention
to the committee, and launching upon lavish expen-
diture. 690 The Sturges-Bourne Act of 1819 691 came
in the nick of time to prevent the breakdown of the
system, for its adoption legalized the position of the
committee by turning it into a select vestry, and for
some years it was able to do admirable work. 69 * But
in the excitement of the agitation for the Reform
Act party feeling crept in here also and showed
itself by constant appeals to the open vestry
and to polls of the whole body of ratepayers on
the smallest points. 693 The survival of the open
vestry in so large a population was a nuisance and
a danger.
Liverpool was thus ready for the Reform movement,
and it is not surprising that in the reforming Parlia-
ment of 1830 and in its successor the Tory town was
for the nonce represented by Whig members. The
Reform Act of 1832 itself began the process of local
reconstitution. Not only did it enfranchise the rate-
payers, placing them on a level, for the purposes of
parliamentary elections, with the freemen, but, for
the same purpose, it enlarged the borough's boun-
daries, including within them the populous suburbs
of Everton and Kirkdale, the northern half of Tox-
texth, and part of West Derby, 694 and thus foreshadow-
ing the full absorption of these districts for municipal
purposes also,
But the legislation which followed the Reform Act
was of far greater local import. The two great
commissions that on the Poor Laws and that on the
Municipal Corporations which the Reformed Par-
liament sent out to investigate the condition of local
government both reported not unfavourably on Liver-
pool : the Poor Law Commission found the town,
indeed, to be among the best administered in
England, 695 while the Municipal Corporations Com-
mission, though it disclosed many grave defects, found
no evidence of serious maladministration/ 95 But the
changes introduced by the two great Acts were of
such a character as to mark the beginning of a new
epoch. The terms of the new Poor Law did not,
indeed, involve any such wide change in Liverpool as
in other places ; it established finally the authority of
the popularly elected select vestry, and put an end to
the defects and uncertainties of the Sturges-Bourne
Act ; but the authority of this body was still confined
to the limits of the old township and parish, the new
and populous outlying districts being left to the
adm'nistration of the Toxteth Board of Guardians
or the West Derby Union. The Municipal Reform
Act was far more serious in its results. It made the
Town Council for the first time in its history a
popularly elected body. It placed the election in
the hands of the body of ratepayers, to whose level
the freemen were now in practice reduced. It
empowered the council to take over the functions of
the Watching, Lighting, and Cleansing Board ; that
is to say, it turned it from being the mere admini-
strator of the estate of a privileged minority into a
body responsible for the health and general well-being
of the whole community, and thus rendered possible,
and indeed suggested, an indefinite enlargement of
municipal functions. Finally, in one of its schedules,
it enlarged the boundaries of the municipal borough so
as to correspond with those of the parliamentary
borough as fixed in 1832.
The history of Liverpool since 1835 has been one
of rapid and steady development on all sides, un-
marked by outstanding or conspicuous episodes. It
is impossible to follow its course in detail ; and it will
be most convenient to summarize it under headings,
in a more or less tabular form.
*" Picton, Liv. Munic. Rec. ii, 224-6.
684 Ibid, ii, 338-9.
685 Munic. Corf. Com. : Rep. of Inquiry in
Liv. 50.
686 Ibid. 325.
S7 Walpole, Hist. Engl. i, 125 ; Picton,
Liv. Munic. Rec. ii, 333.
488 ' Addreu to all who are assessed to
the Poor-rates ... by the Parish Com-
mittee, 1814.'
689 Vestry Minutes, 6 Aug. 1816.
690 Ibid. 1818 and ^19; Picton,
Memorials, i, 391-2.
691 S. and B. Webb, Hist. Local Go-v.
1,159.
698 Vestry Minutes, passim.
693 Liv. Chron. April and July 1832;
Vestry Minutes, April 1833.
694 The area vras increased from 1,860
to 5,210 acres.
6U3 Poor Law Com. Rep.
696 Munic. Corp. Com. Rep. (Liv.), 295,
400.
WEST DERBY HUNDRED
The following table shows the growth of the
CPniVTH f re i n trade of the port, as measured
OF TRADF ^7 the entrances and clearances of
vessels from or to foreign or colonial
ports 697 at intervals of five years :
FOREIGN TRADE : ENTRANCES AND CLEARANCES,
1835-1906
*
Entrances
Clearances
Total
Year
Ships
Tonnage
Ships
Tonnage
Ships
Tonnage
1835
2,978
787,009
3, 6 5
796,766
6,043
1,583,775
1840
3.492
1,042,232
3,808
1,103,955
7,300
2,146,187
i8 4S
4,045
1,406,541
4i97
1,412,473
8,242
2,819,014
1850
4,S3i
1,605,315
4,807
1,656,938
9,338
3,262,253
i8 5S
4*97
2,074,168
4,483
2,223,044
8,680
4,297,212
1860
4,902
2,773,439
5,358
2,899,474
10,260
5,672,913
1865
4,827
2,644,821
4,425
2,631,827
9,252
5,276,648
1870
5,058
3,416,933
4,778
3,356,138
9,836
6,773,071
1875
5,440
4,388,952
4,640
3,996,288
10,080
8,385,240
1880
5,263
49 I 3,3 2 4
4,878
4,746,489
10,141
9,659,813
1885
4,668
5,i7333o
4,246
4,822,021
8,914
9,995,35'
1890
4,646
5,782,351
4,030
5 I 5945
8,676
10,941,801
1895
3,7 ' 6
5,598,341
3,168
4,883,199
6,884
10,481,540
i goo 898
3,5i6
6,050,526
3Ho
5,678,114
6,656
11,728,640
1905
3,523
7,806,844
2,890
6,932,687
6,4 '3
14,739.531
1906
3,487
8,i4544i
2,870
7,125,417
6,357
15,270,858
Two periods only show an actual decline in this
table. The first is the quinquennium 1860-65, the
period of the American Civil War, when the blockade
of the southern ports caused the Lancashire cotton
famine and for a brief time brought about a revival,
in blockade-running expeditions, of the adventurous
spirit of the age of privateering. 499 The other is the
quinquennium 1890-95, a period of general bad
trade. The periods of most rapid growth are those
from 1850 to 1860, from 1865 to 1880, and again
from 1900 onwards. The period from 1880 to 1900
is one in which Liverpool was feeling for the first
time seriously the competition of the European
nations which from 1815 to 1870 had left to Eng-
land almost a monopoly of oversea trade. This
competition may be said to have begun about 1870,
and though the gross increase since that date has
been twice as great as the increase in the preceding
period of the same length, its effects have been shown
in a tendency to more violent fluctuation, which will
perhaps better be illustrated by the value of imports
and exports than by the record of the actual sailings
of vessels that might be either full or empty.
TABLE OF IMPORTS AND EXPORTS, 1875-1906
Year
Value of
Imports
Value of
Exports
Total
1875
iS8o
1885
1890
1895
1900
1905
1906
105,095,188
107,460,187
94,912,069
108,476,672
95,630,489
124,713,436
139,295,487
146,701,650
79,460,771
84,029,651
89,954,372
117,741,836
90,620,396
102,572,890
138,285,465
i5,348,5ii
184,155,959
191,489,838
184,866,441
226,218,508
186,250,885
227,286,326
277,580,952
297,050,161
LIVERPOOL
Space does not permit of any detailed analysis of
the character and direction of Liverpool trade during
this period, but some idea of its principal features may
be derived from the following summary of the ten
leading articles of import and the ten leading articles
of export, with their approximate value, as in the year
1906 :
Imports
Value in
Millions
Exports
Value in
Millions
Raw Cotton
42-56
Cotton Manufactures
46-24
Dead Meat .
17-15
Iron and Steel Manu-
13-98
Corn and Cereals
14-65
factures.
India-rubber
8-42
Woollen M anufactures
8-87
Wool . .
574
Machinery . .
8-68
Live Animals
4-84
Linen Manufactures
3-88
Copper . .
4-23
Cotton Yarn . . .
3-6 1
Timber . .
3-78
Chemicals . . .
3'43
Tobacco . .
3-18
Carriages (chiefly
2-86
Sugar . .
3-16
railway).
China and Earthen-
i'54
ware.
Hardware ....
1-02
A further striking feature of the first table above,
which indicates a characteristic of Liverpool's de-
velopment, is the fact that, especially from 1850
onwards, the number of vessels employed tends to
increase slowly, or even to diminish, while the
tonnage rapidly grows. Thus in 1906 almost the
same number of vessels entered and cleared as in
1835, but their tonnage is ten times as great. This
remarkable increase of the tonnage of vessels is due
above all to the replacement of sailing vessels by
steamships, and to the increasing employment of
large ' liners ' sailing at regular intervals in place of
the irregular sailings of an earlier period. The .first
regular liners begin with the institution of the Cunard
line in 1842. The figures of the shipping registered
in the port of Liverpool since 1850 bring out this
point still more clearly.
SHIPPING REGISTERED IN LIVERPOOL
Year
Sailing
Steam
Total
No. of
Ships
Tonnage
No. of
Shipi
Tonnage
No. of
Ships
Tonnage
1850 .
i,75<>
503,224
93
11,411
1,843
514,635
1860 .
2,228
933,723
223
67,885
2,45 i
1,001,608
1870 .
V55
1,156,566
456
280,807
2,6 1 1
',437,373
1880 .
1,824
999,809
667
555,062
2,49 i
1,554,87'
1890 .
1,352
916,726
967
1,006,713
2,3 I 9
1,923,439
1900 .
1,018
614,968
i,o73
i>7i3,56
2,091
2,328,474
1906 .
914
410,251
1.305
2,401,432
2,219
2,811,683
Though steamboats had appeared in the Mersey as
early as 1815, they were for long used purely for
W The figures for coasting trade are
omitted. This table is compiled from the
Annual Reports on Trade and on Shipping
and Navigation laid before the Houses of
Parliament.
37
698 Including transports for the South
African War.
699 Running the Blockade.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
river or at most coasting traffic ; 70 it was not until
the forties that they began to be employed for the
ocean trade in which Liverpool is mainly concerned.
But as soon as this happened, the size of the vessels
in the port rose with great rapidity, from an average
of 280 tons in 1850 to an average of 1,270 tons in
1 906. Liverpool has indeed become peculiarly the
home of large vessels. While the number of her vessels
is only two- thirds of that of London, their total
tonnage is one-third greater ; m that is to say, the
average Liverpool ship is twice as big as the average
London ship. Of 171 British vessels which in 1906
measured over 4,000 tons, no less than 146 belonged
to Liverpool ; and while in number Liverpool pos-
sesses not much more than one-tenth of the British
mercantile marine, in tonnage she possesses consider-
ably more than one-fifth.
In regard to the position of Liverpool among the
ports of the world, the following comparative state-
ment of the value of the trade of the first six ports of
the world may be quoted. 702 In 1905 the trade of
London was estimated to be worth 261,000,000 ;
of Liverpool, 237,000,000 ; of New York,
221,000,000; of Hamburg, 196,000,000; of
Antwerp, 147,000,000; of Marseilles, 86,000,000.
The following are the census
GROWTH OF returns during the period, includ-
POPULATION ing for the earlier dates the suburban
districts later added to the town :
1841 286,487
1851 376,065
1861 462,749
1871 493,405
1881 ...... 611,075
1891 617,032
I9 01 684,947
1907 .... 746, 1 44 7M
These figures, however, do not adequately represent
the growth which has taken place, since they omit
notice of the growth of Bootle, of the northern
suburbs of Seaforth, Waterloo, and Crosby and other
outlying districts outside of the municipal boundary,
as well as of the population of about 200,000 in
Wirral, which almost wholly depends economi-
cally upon Liverpool. The whole of this popula-
tion has been created during the period under notice,
and the urban population dependent upon Liver-
pool now exceeds 1,000,000.
It should be noticed that the Irish population of
Liverpool, always large, was enormously increased by
the inrush of immigrants after the Potato Famine of
1 845-6 ; over 90,000 entered the town in the first
three months of 1846, and nearly 300,000 in the
twelve months following July 1847. Most of these
subsequently emigrated to America, but many thou-
sands, unable to find the passage money, remained to
swell the misery of the Liverpool slums.
No account can here be given
GEOGRAPHICAL of the rapid expansion of the
GROWTH street-covered area, but it is
necessary to note the stages of
the expansion of municipal control over this area.
" Smithers, Liverpool, 186.
7 fll In 1906 London had 3,300 vessels
of z, 1 00,000 tons ; Liverpool 2,200 ves-
sels of 2,800,000 tons.
' M Annual statement of the Chairman
of the Dock Board, quoting American
After the enlargement of the boundaries in 1835
nearly sixty years passed without any further en-
largement ; in the meantime the borough of Bootle,
which was essentially an expansion of Liverpool,
had grown up and obtained its incorporation with-
out opposition in 1869 ; beyond it the populous
areas of Seaforth and Crosby lay separated from the
town ; the borough of Birkenhead was similarly
incorporated in 1877. At the end of the century,
however, the city awoke to the danger of allowing
the wealthy residential suburbs which derived their
prosperity from the city to escape from their share
of the costs of government. In 1895 the township
of Walton, a second large section of the extensive
township of West Derby, the township of Waver-
tree, and the remaining southern half of the town-
ship of Toxteth, were added to the city. 704 In
1901 the township of Garston, on the eve of apply-
ing for an incorporation which would have shut in
the city on the south as it was inclosed by Bootle on
the north, was also taken in. In 1903 an attempt
was made to incorporate Bootle in the city ; but
though the approval of the Local Government Board
was obtained, the vigorous opposition of Bootle pre-
vented the passage of the bill through Parliament.
In 1 904 the township of Fazakerley was incorporated.
The increase of the city's area involved in these
successive enlargements may be briefly shown :
1830 1, 860 acres
1835 5,* 10
1894
19
I9 7 16,619
After the Municipal Re-
form Act the Whig party
for a brief period enjoyed
control of the borough gov-
ernment. At the outset they
possessed an overwhelming majority, but by i 842 this
majority had disappeared. The main cause of this was
the unpopularity of the Whig attempt to abandon
compulsory Anglican religious teaching in the two
corporation schools, which was advocated on the
ground that the population served by these schools
was mainly Roman Catholic ; but the proposal aroused
a fierce opposition. The Whigs, however, also initiated
a series of elaborate inquiries into the various depart-
ments of borough government, reconstituted the
corporation service and effected large economies by
reductions of salaries, and commenced a vigorous pro-
gressive policy in regard to the regulation of buildings
and the safeguarding of the health of the town. In
these respects the transference of power to the Tory
party led to little change ; and the years from 1835
to 1870 witnessed a vigorous, sustained, and not un-
successful campaign for the amelioration of the con-
ditions of the borough. The powers of the Watching,
Lighting, and Cleansing Board had been taken over
by the corporation under the Act of 1835, and were
administered by a special Watch Committee; they were
now enlarged by a new local Act, 706 under which the
council took powers to impose numerous penalties for
DEVELOPMENT OF
MUNICIPAL
GOVERNMENT
official estimates.
7 8 From the Medical Officer's Report
(estimated).
704 The birth-rate, which shows a slow
but steady decline throughout the later
half of the period, was in 1907 estimated
at 31-7 per 1,000, as compared with
38
26*3 per 1,000 for England and Wales.
On the other hand the death-rate has sunk
from an average of 32-5 per 1,000 in
1861-70 to 20-4 in 1901-7.
705 59 vict. cap. 7.
7 i Vict. cap. 98.
WEST DERBY HUNDRED
LIVERPOOL
neglect of civic duties. In regard to the regulation
of buildings the new regime was especially vigorous.
The council obtained powers by an Act of i839 707
to appoint building surveyors who should be required
to certify before any new building was permitted to
be occupied that it fulfilled the numerous require-
ments laid down in the Act. These regulations were
made still more exacting by the important Act of
1 842, 708 which forbade the erection of inadequately
lighted courts ; the same Act also empowered the
magistrates to order the cleansing at the owner's ex-
pense of any * filthy or unwholesome ' house. The
most important clause of this epoch-making Act was
that which decreed the appointment of a Health
Committee to carry out its terms. Another Act of the
same year, 709 while providing for the widening of
certain main streets, provided (section 107) that on
the presentment of the grand jury or the complaint
of four or more householders the council might de-
molish a ruinous house. Meanwhile the Commis-
sioners for Paving and Sewerage had continued to
perform their duties independently, being expressly
safeguarded from any interference by the growing
activity of the council ; 71 but in 1842 it was pro-
vided that half of them should be elected by the
council. 711 Their authority extended only over
the old township, and in the same year a separate
commission was created for Toxteth Park. 711
The new Health Committee found its work ham-
pered by the existence of these independent and
unrelated authorities. Moreover, in 1843 a very
powerful pamphlet 71S published by Dr. Duncan, then a
lecturer in the Royal Infirmary School of Medicine,
awoke the town to a new sense of the horrors of its
slums . He showed that nearly half of the working-
class population lived in cellar-dwellings ; that most of
the poorer streets were quite unprovided with sewers ;
that the water supply was such as to render impossible
even ordinary personal cleanliness ; in short, that the
condition of the poorer quarters of the town was
such as not only to degrade their inhabitants, but
also to form a grave menace to other residents. This
powerful statement came at a moment when the cor-
poration was already awakening to the difficulty of
the problem, and the ineffectiveness of its weapons
for coping with it. The immediate result was that a
new Act was obtained in 1846,"* which was of the
most far-reaching importance. It provided for the
first time for the appointment of a Medical Officer of
Health an office to which, with singular appropriate-
ness, Duncan was the first to be appointed. It
transferred the powers and properties of the Liverpool
and Toxteth Paving and Sewerage Boards to the
Health Committee of the Town Council, on which
it imposed the obligation to pave and sewer every
street and house. 715 It also imposed upon the council
a totally new obligation, namely that of laying down
pipes and supplying water throughout the borough ;
for which purpose the Green Lane Waterworks were
transferred to the corporation.
Under Duncan's guidance the council now began
a systematic campaign against cellar-dwellings ; in
1 847 over 5,000 such dwellings were declared unfit
for human habitation, and absolutely closed, while
over 10,000 more were measured, registered, and in
some cases cleansed at the owners' expense. 716 But the
powers possessed by the council for carrying out such
reforms were as yet slight. By the Sanitary Amend-
ment Act of l864 717 these powers were very largely
increased ; so much so that under the terms of this
Act the facilities for the demolition of insanitary
property are in some respects more useful than any
conferred by the later national Acts for this purpose.
Even more important than the demolition of in-
sanitary property was the provision of an adequate
water supply. The supply of water had hitherto been
in the hands of two companies the Company of
Proprietors, and the Liverpool and Harrington Com-
pany, founded respectively in 1799 an ^ 1802 ; both
drew their supply from wells, some of which are still
in use. These were now taken over ; 718 but in
addition the corporation took powers to construct
a series of reservoirs on the Rivington moors, north
of Bolton. 719 The scheme produced much discus-
sion, being one of the first of its kind, and several
additional Acts 720 were passed before it had been
finally settled. The Rivington Waterworks were not
completed till 1857 ; their completion for the first
time rendered possible a continuous supply of water
throughout the city. As population grew, it in turn
became inadequate ; and in 1879 the Vyrnwy scheme
was entered upon. This involved the acquisition of
the valley of the River Vyrnwy in Merionethshire,
with its drainage area of 22,742 acres ; the construc-
tion across the mouth of the valley of a masonry dam
1,172 ft. long, 161 ft. high, and 1276:. thick, thus
creating a lake 4^ miles long, capable of yielding a
supply of forty million gallons of water per diem ;
and the construction of an aqueduct 68 miles long,
including tunnels of 4^- miles, one of which passes
under the Manchester Ship Canal and the Mersey.
The supply was first brought to Liverpool in 1891,
after eleven years' work. The value to the com-
munity of this magnificent achievement cannot be
exaggerated. 721
Meanwhile the town had not been altogether neg-
lectful of the amenities. St. George's Hall, 722 de-
signed to serve the double purpose of a public hall
and assize courts, had been projected by private citi-
zens in 1835, and was begun in 1838, and completed
by the corporation in 1854 at a cost of 238,000.
The design was by a young architect, H. L. Elmes,
who died before his work was completed, and much
of the interior was carried out by R. P. Cockerell.
The design was much criticized, but it is now agreed
that the building is one of the noblest modern classic
buildings in the world. It is enriched by a fine pedi-
ment by Alfred Stevens at the south end and by a
series of external bas-relief panels ; it contains one of
the best organs in England, long played by W. T. Best ;
707 2 & 3 Viet. cap. 92.
708 5 vict. cap. 44.
709 5 & 6 Vict. cap. 106.
710 i Vict. cap. 98 ; z & 3 Vict. cap. 92.
711 5 Vict. cap. 26.
712 5 & 6 Vict. cap. 105.
718 Read before the Lit. and Phil. Soc.
in 1843.
714 9 & 10 Vict. cap. 127.
715 An excellent account of the sani-
tary administration of the city is given in
Hdbk. of Congress of Roy. Inst, of Pub.
Health, 1903.
716 Gore's Annals, 1847.
717 27 & 28 Vict. cap. 73.
718 Under powers conferred by 39 Geo.
Ill, cap. 36 ; 9 Vict. cap. 35 ; and 10 &
II Vict. cap. 261.
719 10 & II Vict. cap. 261.
720 13 & 14 Vict. cap. 80; 15 Vict.
39
cap. 47; 1 8 Vict. cap. 66; 19 Vict.
cap. 5.
721 On the history of the water supply
in general, Hist, and Deter. Account of the :
L'fv. Water Supply (Water Engineer's
Rep. 1899); article in Hdbk. of Congress of
Roy. Inst. of Pub. Health, 1903.
< M R. P. Jones, 'H. L. Elmes,' Archil.
Rev. 1904 ; H. L. Elmes, Corrcsp. rela~
ti-ve to St. George's Hall, &c.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
and both the great hall and the plateau without are
used for the display of statuary.
Another fruitful new enterprise was begun in 1852.
As early as 1 849 before the Free Libraries Act
the establishment of a public library had been pro-
jected. In 1851 the thirteenth Earl of Derby had
bequeathed his large natural-history collection to
the town. At the same time the Liverpool Academy,
founded in 1810, had succeeded in stimulating artistic
interests in the town by its annual exhibitions. In
order to meet this triple need a private Act rn was
obtained empowering the council to establish and
maintain a public library and museum with a gallery
of arts, to provide lecture rooms and arrange lec-
tures. With this were at first linked the Botanic
Gardens, originally started as a private organization
by Roscoe, but taken over by the corporation in
1 846. "* A fine classic building for the library and
museum was provided by Sir William Brown, re-
placing the rather ragged houses at the north of
Shaw's Brow, and facing St. George's Hall. Thus
began a noble group of buildings devoted to know-
ledge and the arts, gradually extended by the erection
of the Picton Reading Room, a fine rotunda, in 1872,
the Walker Art Gallery (the gift of Sir A. B. Walker)
BROWN of Astrop,
Bart. Gules a che-veron
or between /wo bear?
paws erased in chief ar-
gent and four hands con-
joined in saltire of the
second in base, on a chief
engrailed gold an tagle
displayed sable.
WALKER of Osmas-
ton, Bart. Or three pal-
lets gules surmounted by
a saltire argent charged
with a harfs head erased
proper, on a chief azure a
garb between two stars
of the first.
in 1877, and the Museum Extension and Technical
School in 1902 ; a proud adornment to the city,
later made still more attractive by the laying out of
gardens with statues in the centre of the great place.
The development of these institutions during the last
half-century can only be briefly summarized. The
Central Library, opened in 1852 with 8,296 volumes,
now contains close on 150,000 volumes; it is most
strongly equipped on local history and topography,
natural history, and the fine arts; the last-named section
has been greatly strengthened by the bequest of the
Hornby Library, now housed in a beautiful additional
room. There are also nine lending libraries in various
parts of the city, having among them nearly 140,000
volumes."* The Museums fall into two sections
the Museum of Natural History, which has been built
up round the nucleus bequeathed by Lord Derby in
1852, and is now of great range, probably unsurpassed
out of London ; and the Museum of Antiquities and
Anthropology, which includes some very valuable col-
lections mainly provided by bequest of Mr. Joseph
Mayer in 1867. The large extension of the build-
ings effected in 1902 for the first time gives adequate
room for the display of these collections. 724 In the
Art Gallery a large permanent collection has been
accumulated by gift and purchase. It includes some
modern paintings of wide fame, also the Roscoe col-
lection of Early Italian art, formerly housed at the
Royal Institution. The controlling committee has
wisely set itself to obtain as full a representation as
possible of the remarkable group of Liverpool painters
who flourished in the middle of the igth century.
An exhibition of contemporary art has been held
annually since 1871, and many special exhibitions
have also been organized. 7 * 7
The increasing attention to the amenities which
the council were now showing was exhibited
especially in 1868. Up to that date the town had
possessed no public parks, except the small public
gardens in St. James's Mount; for though as early as
1848 the Newsham estate had been purchased, no use
had been made of it. In 1 868 powers were obtained 7 * 8
for the creation of three parks Sefton Park, Newsham
Park, and Stanley Park at a cost of 670,000. The
expenditure thus begun has been continued without
intermission, and supplemented by private munificence,
to which the city owes Wavertree Playground and
Bowring Park. The total area of parks and gardens
laid out in various parts of the city amounts to almost
1,100 acres.
The last twenty-five years of the i gth century were
largely engaged in a renewed attack on the problem
of the housing of the poor. In the earlier period
the council had been content with the demolition
of insanitary property, a work in which it had been
a pioneer ; it now began to undertake the re-
placement of the demolished property by model
dwellings. The first block of cottages to be thus
erected was in i869. 7 * 9 In 1885 a large group of
dwellings was erected, known as Victoria Square. By
1900 accommodation had been provided for over 700
families. More recently this work has been pushed on
with such vigour that in February 1907 over 2,200
dwellings were either in occupation or almost com-
pleted. The total cost has been more than 1,000,000,
the interest on which is almost met by the rents paid.
The elaborate and efficient tramway service, taken
over by the corporation in 1897, has also tended to
facilitate the solution of the housing problem.
Of other municipal activities no account can here
be given. But enough has been said to show that
the seventy years since the Municipal Reform Act
have been marked by a systematic attempt at the
reorganization and reconstruction of the city. In the
last part of the period the establishment of the sepa-
rate diocese of Liverpool in 1880, the more recent
7M 15 Viet. cap. 3.
"* 8 & 9 Viet. cap. 43. The library
of the Botanic Gardens, founded by Ros-
coe, was transferred to the City Library
in 1907.
'** Cowell, Li-v. Public Libraries, a bis-
tor y f fify years (1903).
7 M Forbes, descriptive account of the
Liverpool Museums in Hdbk. of the Con-
gress of Roy. lust, of Pub. Health, 1903 ;
annual reports.
"^ Annual Reports, 1872-1907. On
the Liverpool painters, Marillier, The
Liv. School of Painters, 1904.
28 28 Viet. cap. 20.
7" The following facts are from infor-
mation supplied by the Medical Officer of
Health. It may be noted that the Royal
40
Com. on the Housing of the Working
Classes reported in 1885 that housing re-
form was more urgently needed in Liver-
pool than in any other Lancashire town.
A good account of housing work in
Liverpool may be found in the Hdbk. of
the Congress of Roy. Inst. of Pub. Health,
1903.
WEST DERBY HUNDRED
LIVERPOOL
commencement of the erection of a cathedral, and
the foundation of a university, have added the dignities
of a cathedral, episcopal, and university city to those
of a great port. The advance thus made was re-
cognized by the first charter of Queen Victoria in
i88o, 7SO whereby the title of 'City' became the
official designation of Liverpool, and by the queen's
second charter in i893, 731 whereby the chief magis-
trate of the city was empowered to assume the style
of Lord Mayor of Liverpool.
Under the first Dock Act, 1708,"* the
DOCKS mayor, aldermen, bailiffs, and Common
Council became the trustees of the proposed
dock, and were empowered to construct the dock and to
levy dues. They were not incorporated, but used the
corporation seal ; managing the first and successive
docks through committees, which were as completely
under their control as any other council committees.
By an Act of 1 8 1 1 ," 3 however, they were separately in-
corporated and given a seal of their own ; the finances
of the docks were separately administered from those
of the corporation, by a statutory committee of
twenty-one members appointed by the trustees (i.e. the
Town Council), but the Town Council still claimed
and exercised the right of voting sums from the dock
funds, and of overriding the actions of the com-
mittee. The control of the docks by a close corpora-
tion, which was in no way representative of the rate-
payers or of those who used the docks, led to much
discontent and discussion, and in the end produced
a new Act, that of i8z5/ 34 whereby, though the
trust remained unaltered, the committee was changed
by the inclusion of eight members elected by dock
ratepayers. The council still retained a majority,
thirteen of the committee being councillors, while
the chairman was also selected from among the
members of the committee by the council. The
Act also provided that the proceedings of the dock
committee could only be overridden by a majority
of two-thirds of the council, and only at the meeting
of the council immediately following that of the
committee. By an Act of i85i rji the number ot
the committee was raised to twenty-four, half of
whom were to be dock ratepayers, while the chair-
man was to be elected by the committee itself. But
the power of revision still remained with the Town
Council. Outside of both council and committee
there had been from the first an independent body
of auditors, numbering nine under the Act of ijoS, 736
and appointed in equal groups by the corporation,
the justices of the county of Lancaster, and the jus-
tices of the county of Chester. An Act of I734 786 *
raised the number to twelve, four nominated by the
council, eight by the dock ratepayers. By an Act
of 1 84 1 737 the mayor, the chairman of the dock
committee, and the senior borough magistrate, were
appointed revisers of rates.
Even with these safeguards, however, and even
though the council was now a representative elected
body, dissatisfaction was felt with this system of ad-
ministration, which identified the interests of the
dock estate with those of the municipality. This ex-
pressed itself in controversies on the rating of the
dock estate, and in the agitation for the Act of 1851,
which was originally an attempt to alter the consti-
tution of the dock committee so as to leave the
council only the mere shadow of control, but which
was amended to the effect already described. It also
lowered the voting franchise for dock ratepayers.
But the strongest opposition came from the merchants
of Manchester and the railway companies, which re-
sented the traditional charges for town dues ; this
went so far that a society was founded in Manchester
called ' The Society to secure the right appropriation
of the Liverpool Town Dues.' In 1857 they pro-
moted a Bill, based upon the recommendations of the
Commissioners of the Board of Trade, who had in
1853 reported in favour of the appointment of in-
dependent bodies of conservators for the regulation
of public harbours, and of the transference to them
of all dues levied by municipal corporations. The
Town Council fought the Bill with all its power,
especially objecting to the confiscation of its tradi-
tional town dues ; but eventually withdrew its opposi-
tion in consideration of a payment of 1,500,000
for the loss of the town dues, and of certain other
modifications. By the Act thus passed 7373 the Mersey
Docks and Harbour Board was constituted, and took
over the control both of the Liverpool and of the
Birkenhead Docks, and the right of collecting not
only dock dues but also the ancient traditional town
dues. The board has continued to collect the town
dues, despite the fact that opposition to these dues
was one of the principal causes of its establishment.
The board consists of twenty-eight members, four of
whom are nominated by the Mersey Conservancy Com-
missioners (the First Lord of the Admiralty, the Presi-
dent of the Board of Trade, and the Chancellor of the
Duchy of Lancaster) ; while the other twenty-four
are elected by all persons paying rates on ships or
goods to the amount of not less than 10 per
annum. Members of the board must be resident
within 10 miles of the boundary of the borough or
port of Liverpool, and must have paid rates on ships
or goods to the amount of not less than 25 per
annum. The office of Chairman of the Dock Board
is commonly regarded as the most honourable at the
disposal of Liverpool citizens.
The history of the actual dock estate may be
conveniently divided into three periods, 7371 " corre-
sponding to the periods in the history of its governing
body :
I. Between 1709 and 1825, when the docks were
under the direct control of the corporation, the fol-
lowing wet docks were opened :
1 . Old Dock, opened 3 1 August 1715; closed
31 August 1826.
2. Salthouse Dock, opened 1753 ; altered 1842 ; en-
larged 1855.
3. George's Dock, opened 1771 ; enlarged 1825 ;
closed 1900.
"so Printed in Hut. Mimic. Gout, in Lt-v.
290. 7S1 Ibid. 292.
783 8 Anne, cap. 12. On the whole
history of the administration of the docks,
see the Town Clerk's Report on the Pos-
sibility and Expediency of obtaining re-
presentation of the Corporation on the
Dock Board (1907).
788 5 1 Geo. Ill, cap. 43.
784 26 Geo. IV, cap. 43. For the de-
fects of this system, see Munic. Corp.
Com. Rep. of Li-v. Inquiry, passim.
785 14 & 15 Viet. cap. 64.
786 8 Anne, cap. 12.
786a j Geo. II, cap. 29.
787 4. & 5 Viet. cap. 30.
41
"S7a 20 & 21 Viet. cap. 162.
787b Fjg ure i taken from Memorandum
Bk. of the Mersey Docks and Harbour
Board, 1908. Smithers, Li-v. 169 ff. and
452, describes the condition of the docks
in 1824; Baines, Li-v. App. describes
them in 1852.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
4. King's Dock, opened 1788 ; closed 1906, the
name being preserved for two new branches of
the Wapping Dock.
5. Queen's Dock, opened 1796; enlarged 1816 ;
deepened and half-tide dock added 1856, and
closed 1905 ; enlarged 1901 ; branches added
1901, 1905 ; altered 1906.
6. Union Dock, opened 1816 ; thrown into Coburg
Dock 1858.
7. Prince's Dock, opened 1821 ; half-tide dock
added 1868.
The total area of wet docks in 1825 amounted
to 46 acres 3,179 sq. yds. ; the lineal quayage to a
little over 2 miles. The dock dues paid in the
same year amounted to 130,911. It may be
noted that the first London Dock was not opened
until 1802.
II. Between 1825 and 1857, when the docks were
under the control of the Dock Committee, the Old
Dock was closed (1826), and the following new docks
were opened :
1. Canning Dock, opened 1829 ; previously a basin
known as the Dry Dock, opened 1753 ; en-
larged 1842.
2. Clarence Docks, &c., opened 1830 ; enlarged
I853-
3. Brunswick Docks, opened 1832 ; enlarged 1848,
1858, 1889; branch dock added 1878;
altered 1900.
4. Waterloo Dock, opened 1834; reconstructed as
E. and W. Waterloo Docks, 1868.
5. Victoria Dock, opened 1836 ; altered 1848.
6. Trafalgar Dock, opened 1836.
7. Coburg Dock, opened 1840; altered from
Brunswick Basin ; enlarged 1858 ; altered
1900.
8. Toxteth Dock, opened 1842 ; closed to make
way for new works, 1884.
9. Canning Half-tide Dock, opened I 844.
10. Harrington Dock (bought), opened 1844 ; closed
to make way for new works 1879.
11. Albert Dock, opened 1845.
12. Salisbury Dock, opened 1848.
13. Collingwood Dock, opened 1848.
14. Stanley Dock, opened 1848; partly filled in
1897.
15. Nelson Dock, opened 1848.
1 6. Bramley Moore Dock, opened 1848.
17. Wellington Docks, opened 1850 ; half-tide dock
closed 1901.
1 8. Sandon Dock, opened 1851 ; half-tide dock
added 1901 ; altered 1906.
19. Manchester Dock (bought), opened 1851.
20. Huskisson Dock, opened 1852 ; branch docks
added 1861, 1872, 1902 ; altered 1896, 1897;
enlarged 1900.
21. Wapping Dock and Basin, opened 1855 ; two
King's Dock branches added 1906.
The water area in 1857 amounted to 192 acres
129 sq. yds., or an increase of over 82 acres in twenty-
five years ; the lineal quayage was about I 5 miles ;
and the river-wall, when the Dock Board came into
existence, already extended for just over 5 miles. At
the same time the Dock Committee and the Corpora-
tion had acquired the Birkenhead Docks, which do
not fall within the purview of this work. It is clear
that the old Dock Committee did not lack energy.
For the ten years preceding the establishment of the
Dock Board the dock dues averaged nearly 250,000.
It was on the security of these that the capital for the
construction of the docks was raised ; and no profits
were used for purposes other than the service of the
port.
III. During the fifty years of the Mersey Docks
and Harbour Board more time and money have been
spent on the enlargement and reconstruction of the
existing system than on the creation of new docks.
The new docks of this period are :
1. Canada Dock, opened 1858; enlarged 1896;
altered 1903 ; branches opened 1896, 1903,
1906.
2. Brociclebank Dock, opened 1862 ; known until
1879 as Canada Half-tide Dock; enlarged
1871.
3. Herculaneum Dock, opened 1866 ; enlarged and
branch dock added 1881.
4. Langton Docks, opened 1879.
5. Alexandra Dock (and three branches), opened
1880.
6. Harrington Dock, opened i883. 738
7. Hornby Dock (and branch), opened 1884.
8. Toxteth Dock, opened i888. 73S
9. Union Dock, opened
During the last thirty years, however, the board
has been mainly occupied in reconstructing large sec-
tions of the dock system, so as to accord with that re-
markable change in the size of vessels resorting to the
port which has brought it about that while the ton-
nage of the port has since 1880 increased 66 per cent.
the number of vessels has in the same period actually
declined from 10,000 to little over 6,ooo. 73Sa The
new type of gigantic steamships demanded a wholesale
reconstruction of the docks to which they resorted.
The docks have accordingly been grouped in systems,
each adapted to the needs of different kinds of trade,
and each equipped with its appropriate warehouses,
sheds, cranes, graving-docks, &c. The southern sys-
tem, including the Herculaneum, Toxteth, and Har-
rington docks, was vastly enlarged between 1881 and
1888 ; the Canada-Huskisson system, at the north
end, was radically reconstructed between 1890 and
1906, with the result that the largest American liners
now use it in place of the Alexandra-Hornby system,
which at the time of its construction represented
the last word in dock engineering ; the Brunswick-
Wapping system, in the south-central region, which
includes some of the oldest of the docks, was com-
pletely rearranged, enlarged, and deepened so as to
admit the biggest vessels, between 1900 and 1906.
The accommodation, however, being still inade-
quate, a large new system of docks is now (1908)
under construction at the extreme north end of
the line.
In 1900 the George's Dock, one of the oldest of
the series, which lay between the city and the pier-
head, was closed by arrangement between the Dock
Board and the Corporation. Part of its site was
18 These are name* of old docks, given to new docks in the same region.
42
78a g ee ta bi e O f entrances and clearances, p. 3 7 aboye.
WEST DERBY HUNDRED
utilized for the magnificent domed building in which
the offices of the Dock Board are now housed ; two
of the main shoreward thoroughfares were continued
across the site of the dock direct to the pier-head ;
and the main entrance to the city has thus been
materially improved and dignified.
The total water area of the docks (excluding those
on the Cheshire side of the river) now (1908) amounts
to 418 acres 320 yds., and the lineal quayage to
26 miles 1,083 yd s - The continuous dock-wall fronts
the river for a distance of 7^ miles.
In addition to the docks controlled by the Dock
Board, the London and North-Western Railway
has three docks at Garston, now within the limits
of the city, which have a water area of 14 acres
2,494 yds.
As the period of the Dock Board's administration
has been the period of the rapid development in the
size of ships, which is in no port more marked than
in Liverpool, a large part of the Board's work has
consisted in maintaining a clear channel in the river.
The task of dredging the bar which impedes the
entrance to the river was seriously begun about 1890.
Carried on by dredgers of unusual magnitude and
power, it has cost not far short of half a million of
money during the last fifteen years, but the result has
been to provide a clear deep-water passage, lacking
which Liverpool might have found it impossible to
maintain her control over ocean trade under the new
conditions. No account can here be given of the
other works of the Board, of its vast warehouses, of its
appliances for the disembarkation of cargo, or of the
immense floating stage, 2,478 ft. long, whereby the
landing of passengers at all times is rendered possible
despite the very great rise and fall of the tides in the
Mersey.
The erection of a chapel at Liver-
CHURCHES pool was probably contemporaneous
with the foundation of the borough ;
burgages 'next to the chapel' are mentioned in a
charter of the middle of the 1 3th century. 739 The
building is identified with the chapel of St. Mary
LIVERPOOL
del Key (or Quay) which was standing, 'a great
piece of antiquity,' used as the free school, in 1673.
It was a chapel of ease to Walton, and without any
permanent endowment.
In or before 1356 there was built, perhaps at the
cost of the town, the larger chapel of Our Lady
and St. Nicholas, which then became the chapel of
Liverpool. In the year named the king allowed the
mayor and commonalty to devote lands of the value
of 10 a year to the maintenance of divine service
in the chapel according to an agreement they had
made with Henry, Duke of Lancaster/ 41 who him-
self gave an allowance of I2/. a year to the
chapel. 7 "
In September 1361 the Bishop of Lichfield
granted a licence for burials in the churchyard,
during a visitation of plague ; 74S and in the follow-
ing February he gave permission for the chapel and
cemetery of St. Nicholas of Liverpool to be conse-
crated ' by any Catholic bishop having the grace of
the Apostolic See and faculties for his office.' 744 Shortly
afterwards William de Liverpool gave a rent of 6s. %d.
towards the stipend of the chaplain, as long as the
chantry should continue. 744 The chantry referred to
was probably that at the altar of St. John, founded
by John de Liverpool to celebrate for the souls of
his ancestors, the priest of which was nominated
by the mayor and burgesses. 746 Another ancient
chantry was that of St. Mary at the high altar, 747
founded by Henry, Duke of Lancaster ; 74S while
the succeeding duke, John of Gaunt, founded one
at the altar of St. Nicholas. 74 ' There were thus
three priests in residence serving the chantries from
the latter part of the I4th century down to the
Reformation.
Further endowments were acquired from time to
time ; 7SO and in 1459 the Bishop of Lichfield granted
an indulgence of forty days on the usual conditions
to contributors to the restoration of the old chapel of
St. Mary del Key and to the maintenance of a
chaplain there and of its ornaments, or to those who
should devoutly pray before her image. 751 This
7* Most of the information relating to
this ancient chapel is derived from an
essay by Mr. John Elton in Trans. Hist.
Soc. (new ser.), rviii, 73-118, and the
documents there printed.
Randle del Moore of Liverpool, who
occurs from 1246 onwards, granted to
Margery his daughter and John Gernet
half a burgage next to the chapel ; Moore
D. no. 264 (i). In the same deeds 'the
Chapel street ' is mentioned in 1318 (ibid,
no. 331 [71]), in a grant by John son of
Alan de Liverpool, to which John del
Moore was a witness.
Liverpool was named as a chapelry in
1327 at the ordination of the vicarage of
Walton ; Gastrell, Notitia Cestr. (Chet.
Soc.), ii, 191.
740 Blome, Britannia (quoted by Pic-
ton).
7 41 Elton, op. cit. 80, quoting Pat.
29 Edw. III. The rents were to be paid
' to certain chaplains to celebrate divine
service every day, for the souls of all the
faithful departed, in the chapel of Blessed
Mary and St. Nicholas of Liverpool, ac-
cording to the order of the mayor and
commonalty.' The sum of 10 may in-
clude the endowments of the two chan-
tries of John de Liverpool and Henry
Duke of Lancaster.
7 a Elton, op. cit. 79, quoting a rent
roll of 1395.
7 Ibid. 83, from Lich. Epis. Reg. v,
fol. 44.
7 44 Ibid. 82, from Lich. Epis. Reg. v,
fol. 45. Facsimiles of this and the pre-
ceding entry are given.
7 45 Elton, op. cit. 86, from Moore
D. no. 466 (183), dated 6 Sept. 1361.
7 William de Liverpool's phrase, ' as
may be ordained by the mayor and com-
monalty,' agrees with the above-quoted
licence of Edward III, and with the con-
dition of the chantry in 1548 ; Raines,
Chantries (Chet. Soc.), 82. At this date
the priest (John Hurdes) did 'sing and
celebrate there according to the statutes of
his foundation ' ; the plate and ornaments
were scanty ; the rents, derived, as were
those of the remaining chantries, from
burgages, houses, and lands in Liverpool,
amounted to 105*. id. In 1534 the can-
tarist was Thomas Rowley, and the net
revenue was 731. $.d.\ the founders' names
were recorded as John de Liverpool and
John del Moore ; Valor Eccl. (Rec. Com.),
V, 221.
It was the duty of the priest of the
altar of St. John to say mass daily be-
tween five and six in the morning, so that
all labourers and well-disposed people
43
might come to hear it ; Picton, Munic.
Rec. i, 31.
7 4 / Raines, op. cit. 86. Ralph Howorth
was the incumbent in 1548, 'celebrating
accordingly,' ' with the chalice and other
ornaments pertaining to the inhabitants
of the same town' ; the gross income was
1151. n</., a chief rent of 2s. $d. being
paid to the king's bailiff of West Derby.
Richard Frodsham was cantarist in 1534,
when the revenue was ^4 71. n</.; Valor
Eccl. (Rec. Com.), loc. cit.
78 Duchy of Lane. Auditors' Accts.
bdle. 728, no. 11987.
7 4 > Raines, op. cit. 89. Richard Frod-
sham was in 1548 'the priest remaining
and celebrating there according to his
foundation ' ; there were chalice, two sets
of vestments, and missal, and an endow-
ment of 1 141. f,d. Ralph Howorth was
cantarist in 1534, when the income was
751. u</., the foundation being ascribed
to Henry and John, Dukes of Lancaster ;
Valor Eccl. loc. cit. Probably there has
been some transposition of the names of
the incumbents of these chantries.
750 See Elton, op. cit. 86, 88.
7" Lich. Epis. Reg. xii, fol. 124*. It
is described as 'the chapel of Blessed
Mary within the cemetery of the chapel
of the town of Liverpool.'
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
ancient chapel continued in use until the Reforma-
tion, for John Crosse in 1515 made a bequest to
' the priest that sings afore our Lady of the Key.' n
The same benefactor established the chantry of
St. Katherine, the priest of which was also to teach
and keep a grammar school.' 7M By this means the
endowed staff was raised to four priests. A house
was provided for them, with a garden adjoining. 744
The church, consisting of a nave and a chancel of
about equal lengths, with a tower at the west end,
a south porch, and *n aisle on the north side, 7 " had
four or five altan the high altar, St. Nicholas's
(perhaps the same), St. John's, St. Katherine's, and
the Rood altar/ 54 The chapel of St. Mary of the
Key, which was a separate building standing on the
river bank, a little to the west of St. Nicholas's, also
had its altar. 7 " There is no means of deciding how
many priests and clerks were employed, but the size
of the chancel indicates a considerable staff.
The suppression of the chantries and the change of
religion made a great difference. St. Nicholas's chapel
continued to be used, and one of the old chantry
priests, John Hurdes, was placed in charge in 1548 ;
he appeared at the visitation in 1554, but not in
I56z. 748 At the abolition of the ancient services in
1559 it is uncertain what took place at Liverpool ; 759
Vane Thomasson was curate in i$6i, 760 and next
year the Crown allowed the old stipend of one of
the chantry priests for the payment of a minister to
be nominated by the burgesses. 761 In 1590 the
minister was * a preacher,' 76 * and the corporation
afterwards took pains to secure a preacher or an
additional lecturer. 763
In 1650 the Commonwealth surveyors found that
the Committee of Plundered Ministers had assigned
to the curate of Liverpool all the tithes of the town-
ship and jio from the rectory of Walton ; the
duchy rent of 4 1 5/. was also paid to him ; the
curate had, on the other hand, by the committee's
order, to pay l I los. to the wife of Dr. Clare, the
ejected rector of Walton. 764 Shortly afterwards, in
1658, Liverpool was made an independent parish, 765
7* Church Goods, 1552 (Chet. Soc.), 98.
T<* Raines, Chantries, 84 ; Valor Eccl.
(Rec. Com.), v, 221. Humphrey Crosse
was the incumbent in 1534 and 1548,
celebrating for the souls of his founder and
heirs, with a yearly obit at which 31. 4</.
was distributed to the poor, and teaching
the grammar school. The endowment
amounted to 4 15*. lod. For a dispute
concerning this foundation see Due hy Plead.
(Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 156.
John Crowe's will ii printed in full in
Church Goods, 97, 98.
744 Raines, op. cit. 85.
An account of the chantry lands after
the confiscation is given by Elton, op. cit.
97, 98 ; see also Trans. Hist. Soc. (new
ser.), iii, 165 ; and Gregson, Fragments
(ed. Harland), 348-50.
The ornaments of the chapel in 1552
are detailed in Church Goods, 96.
'* A south elevation is given in En-
field's Liverpool. The spire and the
upper story of the tower were additions
to the original building. Perry's plan of
1769 shows that there were then two
aides on the north side, but one of these
had been built in 1697, with an addition
in 1718 ; Picton, Memorials, ii, 58. The
principal changes were : A west-end gal-
lery, erected in 1681 ; an organ, provided
in 1684; the boarded ceiling, painted and
starred in 1688 ; the churchyard wall on
the east and south, built in 1690 ; a spire,
built in 1745 5 tn * churchyard extended
in 1749 ; a new organ procured in 1764 ;
and in 1774 the whole body of the church
was rebuilt in its present form, the in-
terior, which must have been very irre-
gular, being entirely transformed, and the
exterior walls being made uniform ; ibid.
'' 57-9- The following is Enfield's de-
scription of the old building : ' In its
structure there is no appearance of mag-
nificence or elegance. The body of the
church within is dark and low ; it is irre-
gularly thougi. decently pewed ; it has
lately been ornamented with an organ.
The walls have been repaired and sup-
ported by large buttresses of different
colours and forms, and a spire has been
added to the tower' ; Liverpool, 41.
The Corporation arranged the order of
precedence in the pews ; Munic. Rec. i,
103, 210, 329.
The old peal having been reduced to
a single bell, three more were ordered
in 1628, but were not satisfactory, and
changes were made in 1636 and 1649 ;
Munic. Rec. i, 2 1 1, 212. A new peal
was procured in 1725, the number being
increased to six. Their ringing brought
about the ruin of the tower. The pre-
sent peal consists of twelve bells, cast in
1813; an account of them will be found
in Mr. Henry Peet's Inventory of the
Parish Churches of Liverpool. Mr. Peet
has kindly given other information re-
specting the churches.
A clock was set up in 1622, on the
motion of the curate ; Munic. Rec. i, 212.
Notes of the arms in the windows,
taken in 1590, have been printed in Trans.
Hist. Soc. xxxii, 253, with an account of
Captain Ackers, by Mr. J. P. Rylands.
After the fall of the tower and spire
on ii Feb. 1810, the present tower with
its open lantern-spire was built. It stands
at the centre of the west end, instead of
at the south-west corner like the former
one. The church now retains no traces
of antiquity, being in a dull modern
Gothic style, and is chiefly interesting for
the many monuments of iSth and 19th-
century date. The spire is, however, a
creditable piece of work for its date.
756 St. Katherine's altar is mentioned
in 1464 ; Munic. Rec. i, 23.
757 This building, ceasing to be used
for divine worship, was purchased by the
corporation, apparently for zos. ; it be-
came the town's warehouse, but later was
used as the schoolhouse, and so continued
until the 1 8th century, when it was de-
molished ; Elton, op. cit. 103, 1 12- 1 8.
At the west end of this chapel was an
image of St. Nicholas, 'to whom seafaring
men paid offerings and vows ' ; see Blome,
op. cit. and Pal. Note-book, iii, 119.
7 M The corporation seem to have con-
tinued to hold and regulate the chapel ;
Elton, op. cit. 99-104. Many details
will be found in Picton's Munic. Rec.
The clerk, Sir John Janson, in 1551
went away to Spain ; one Nicholas Smith
was clerk in 1555 5 Elton, op. cit. 100, 104.
7S The priest in charge, Evan Nichol-
son, appointed in or before 1555,^35 still
there in 1559, but does not appear in the
Visitation List of 1562 ; Munic. Rec. i, 97.
7" Visitation List. It is possible that
Vane (Vanus) Thomasson was the Evan
Nicholson of 1555.
In 1564 Master Vane Thomasson, cu-
rate of Liverpool, and one of the wardens
appeared before the Bishop of Chester, and
44
were enjoined to ' charge the people that
they use no beads ' ; the curate was to
minister the sacrament and sacramentals
according to the Book of Common Prayer ;
Erasmus's Paraphrase must be procured ;
and ' all manner of idolatry and supersti-
tion" was to be immediately 'abolished
and utterly extirpated ' ; Raines, op. cit.
92, quoting the Liber Correct, at Chester.
761 Elton, op. cit. 104. The amount
allowed was 4 ijs. $d. a year.
7 6a Lydiate Hall, 249; quoting S.P. Dom.
Eliz. ccxxxv, 4.
768 In 1591 the mayor and burgesses
paid 4 to ' Mr. Carter the preacher,' in
consideration of 'his great good zeal and
pains ' in his ' often diligent preaching
of God's word amongst us more than
he is bound to do, but only of his mere
good will ' ; Picton, Munic. Rec. i, 102.
In 1621 a stipend of 30 a year was
promised to ' Mr. Swift to be a preacher
here'; in 1622 James Hyatt, afterwards
vicar of Childwall and Croston, was ap-
pointed ; and in 1629 an arrangement was
made with clergy of the neighbourhood to
preach week-day sermons ; ibid, i, 197,
198, 200.
The authorities were in the I7th cen-
tury inclined to the stricter Puritan side,
as this insistence on preaching suggests ;
but in 1602 the portmoot inquest pre-
sented the curate ' for not wearing his
surplice according to the King's injunc-
tions' ; and in 1610 it was 'agreed' that
he should wear it ' every Sabbath and
every holiday at the time of Divine ser-
vice." The clerk also was to wear one ;
ibid, i, 102, 196.
Laud's reforms apparently did not reach
Liverpool. In 1623 it was ordered by
the corporation that, as the place where
the first and second lessons were usually
read was 'more convenient for the read-
ing of Common Prayer than the place in
the chancel where it hath formerly been
read, in respect the same place is in the
middle of the same church and in full
audience and view of the whole congre-
gation,' the whole service should be read
there ; ibid, i, 198. In 1687 Bishop Cart-
wright had to command the churchwarden
to 'set the communion table altarwise
against the wall ' ; Pal. Note-book, iii, 1 24.
784 Commonwealth Church Survey (Rec.
Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), 84 ; Plund. Mint.
Accts. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, i.
765 Plund. Mins. Accts. ii, 21 5 j 224.
LIVERPOOL: SHAW'S BROW, c. 1850
(From a Water-colour Drawing)
S,' Nicholas's Church
(From Enfield's History of Liverpool, 1774)
WEST DERBY HUNDRED
LIVERPOOL
but on the Restoration this Act was adjudged to be
null, and St. Nicholas's became once more a chapel
under Walton. The following is a list of the
curates :
c. 1563
oc. 1577
1585
oc. 1590
1596
1598
? 1625
c. 1634
1643
1645
1662
1670
1688
Vane Thomasson " M
James Seddon 767
James Martindale 768
Hugh Janion 769
- Bentley 770
Thomas Wainwright m
Edwin Lappage 7 "
Henry Shaw 773
Joseph Thompson 7M
John Fogg 775
John Leigh 776
Robert Hunter 777
William Atherton 778
Robert Stythe
Liverpool had by this time become so important
that the governing body thought they might claim
full parochial rights for the township. 779 After nego-
tiations with the rector and vicar of Walton, and the
patron, Lord Molyneux, an Act of Parliament was
procured ' to enable the town of Liverpool to build
a church and endow the same, and for making the
same town and liberties thereof a parish of itself,
distinct from Walton.' r80 Two joint rectors were
appointed, the first being the two curates then minis-
tering, and it was directed that 110 should be
levied from the parishioners for each of them. 781 The
church built under this Act was St. Peter's in Church
Street, consecrated in 1704, which has since been
regarded as the principal church of the parish, and
was therefore appointed the pro-cathedral in 1880.
It is a plain building with wide round-headed
windows, consisting of a chancel with vestries, nave,
and west tower. Its chief merit lies in the woodwork,
and it preserves its galleries on three sides of the
nave, the general arrangement of the seating having
been but little altered since its first building. 7 It
is to be demolished as soon as
part of the new cathedral is
in use.
The patronage was vested
in the mayor and alder-
men, such as had been alder-
men or bailiffs' peers, and the
common council. In 1836
the reformed corporation sold
the patronage to John Stew-
art, and about the same time
provision was made for the
union of the two rectories. 783
From the Stewarts the patron-
age was purchased in 1890
by the late W. E. Gladstone,
whose son, the Rev. Stephen
E. Gladstone, now holds it. 784 There is no rectory-
house, but the gross value of the benefice is stated as
1,600 a year, largely derived from fees. 785
GLADSTONE. Argent
a savage's head wreathed
ivith holly and distilling
dr pt of blood proper
'within a fiotuertd orle
gules all "with an orle of
martlets sable.
7M Visitation Lists of 1563, 1564;
name crossed out in 1565.
7*7 Picton, Munic. Rec. i, 97.
7 Ibid. 98.
" 8 Ibid. He was also vicar of St.
John's, Chester. He died hi 1596;
p. 97.
77 Ibid. 97, 98. He could not endure
the interference of the mayor and council,
and only remained two years. He it
called * Mr.,' and was therefore a graduate
of some university.
771 Ibid. 98. He was also appointed
schoolmaster, 'until God send us some
sufficient learned man.' He was only a
' reading minister,' as might be inferred
from thii ; Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. xiv,
App. iv, 13. Accordingly in 1616 the
mayor and burgesses considered ' the pro-
viding of a preacher to live within the
town'; Munic. Rec. i, 196. He contri-
buted i to the clerical subsidy of 1622 ;
Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Che?.), i, 65.
In 1609 he appears to have had an
assistant named Webster ; Raines MSS.
(Chet. Lib.), xxii, 298.
The will of Thomas Wainwright, dated
26 June 1625, and proved in the following
October, shows that he had a small
library, including commentaries, Perkins
on the Creed, and Synopsis Papismi ; these
two books he left to Thomas son of his
half-brother Godfrey Wainwright. To
Mr. Hyatt he left Fulke upon the
Rhemish Testament, on condition that
he preached the funeral sermon. To
John Moore of Bank Hall he left his
watch. He also mentions his sisters,
Ellen Okell and Cecily Blinston, and
other relative*. He desired to be buried
'within the chapel of Our Lady and St.
Nicholas under the Communion table
there.'
77 a Munic. Rec. i, 1 99. He is described
as 'minister and preacher.'
77 s He contributed to subsidies 1634 to
1639 ; Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.),
i, 94, 122. He may have been the Henry
Shaw who was, in 1649, minister of St.
John's, Chester ; Plund. Mint. Accts. i,
208. One Henry Shaw, of Brasenose
College, Oxford, took the M.A. degree in
1629 ; Foster, Alumni.
In 1633 the corporation ordered 'that
there shall be morning prayer as formerly
hath been ' ; also that the clerk should,
if possible, be ordained deacon, in which
case his wages should be raised by (if. 8, A;
Munic. Rec. i, 201.
77* Picton's Liverpool, i, 92. In 1644
the Corporation provided a second minis-
ter, Mr. David Ellison ; Munic. Rec. i,
202. Thompson was shortly afterwards
placed in the rectory of Scfton.
"7* Ibid, i, 203. He was son of Law-
rence Fogg of Bolton, educated at Brase-
nose College, Oxford ; M.A. 1646 ; Foster,
Alumni. He signed the 'Harmonious
Consent* in 1648. Refusing to take the
engagement, he had to abandon his charge
in 1651, Peter Stananought (afterwards of
Aughton) and Michael Briscowe being
appointed. Shortly afterwards John Fogg
was reinstated, and remained at Liverpool
until he was ejected for Nonconformity in
1662 ; he then retired to Great Budworth;
Picton, Liverpool, i, 105. In 1650 he
was described as ' an able, godly minister ';
Commonwealth Ch. Surv. 84.
77* Munic. Rec. i, 322. The appoint-
ment was made by the corporation, as on
previous occasions ; but the rector of
Walton after some time endeavoured to
obtain the patronage. In this he was
defeated ; ibid, i, 322-3.
777 Ibid, i, 323. He was described as
' reverend, learned, and laborious ' ; ibid, i,
^24. He had been incumbent of Knuts-
ford and Macdesfield ; Earwaker, East
Ches. ii, 505. In 1681 an assistant curate
45
was appointed to read morning prayers
daily (except Sundays and holidays).
77* It was considered, on Mr. Hunter's
death, that two ministers should be ap-
pointed, to do equal duty and receive
equal wages, and both to reside in the
town ; ibid, i, 324. It appears that they
also served the chapel of West Derby.
"79 Munic. Rec. i, 324-6.
7 so 10 and 1 1 Will. Ill, cap. 36. The
rectors were to divide the duty and the
surplice fees. The tithes of the township,
on the then rector of Walton's death,
were to go to the corporation, in relief
of the assessment lor the rectors' stipend.
The rectors of Liverpool were to pay
one-sixth of the tenths and other ecclesi-
astical dues levied upon the parish of
Walton.
Lord Molyneux's interest was indirect,
the separation of Liverpool from Walton
rendering his right of patronage of the
latter rectory somewhat less valuable.
In 1786 an Act was passed 'for aug-
menting and ascertaining the income of
the rectors' ; 26 Geo. Ill, cap. 15.
7 M Gastrell, Nttitia Cestr. (Chet. Soc.),
ii, 190-3 ; Picton, Munic. Rec. ii, 86.
783 T^ building has never excited any
admiration. There is a peal of ten bells,
added in 1830. In 1715 John Fells, a
sea captain, gave 30 towards the expense
of forming a library in this church ; a list
of the books is printed in Mr. Peet's In-
ventory, 25-52. This work contains an
inventory of the plate, &c., and a full list
of the parish registers, with a reprint of
the earliest volume (1661-73), a ^ 8 a '' 8t
of the churchwardens from 1551.
The church was used for a series of
musical festivals, commencing in 1766 ;
Picton, Liverpool, ii, 155.
7 i & 2 Viet. cap. 98.
7 84 Information of the patron.
7 M Dice. Calendar.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
The following is a list of the recton :
I
1699 Robert Stythe, B.A. m
1714-17 vacant, owing to a dispute. 7 " 1
1717 Thomas Bell, M.A. W
1726 John Stanley, D.D. 7 *
1750 Robert Brereton
1784 George Hodson, M-A. 1 "
1794 Samuel Renshaw, M.A. m
1829 Jonathan Brooks, M.A. 7 *
1870
1904
II
1699 William Atherton, B.A. 7 * 1
1706 Henry Richmond, B-A. 718
1721 Thomas Baldwin, M.A. m
1753 Henry Wolstenholme, M.A. m
1772 Thomas Maddock, M.A. 7 *
1783 Thomas Dannett ^
1 796 Robert Hankinson Roughsedge, M.A. 7 *
1829 Augustus Campbell, M.A. (sole rector,
1855) "
Alexander Stewart, M.A.**
John Augustine Kempthorne, M.A. 1 *
St. George's Church, for which an Act of Parlia-
ment was obtained in 1715,** was begun in 1726 on
the site of the castle ; it was completed in 1734. It
had originally an elegant terrace, supported by rustic
arches, on one side ; these arches the frequenters of Red
Cross market used to occupy.' *" The church was re-
built piecemeal between 1819 and 1825, and its new
spire was reduced in height in 1 83 3 ; in its time it was
regarded as ' one of the handsomest in the kingdom.'
It was the property of the corporation and main-
tained by them, the mayor and the judges of assize at
one time attending it. On Mr. Charles Mozley, who
was a Jew, being elected mayor in 1 863, the incum-
bent preached a sermon denouncing the choice, and
from that time the mayor and corporation ceased to
attend St. George's. The building having long failed
to attract a congregation was dosed in 1 897 and then
demolished, the site being acquired by the corpora-
tion.'* 4
St. Thomas's, Park Lane, was built in 175.0 under
the provisions of an Act of Parliament. 8 "' 'The
land was given by Mr. John Skill, who, however,
afterwards charged three times the value of the ground
for the churchyard when it was required.' m A very
tall and slender spire was a feature of the exterior ;
after various accidents it was taken down in 1822,
and the present miniature dome replaced it. A large
part of the churchyard was acquired by the corpora-
tion about 1885 for a new thoroughfare. ***
St. Paul's, one of the corporation churches, was
begun in 1763 in accordance with an Act obtained
the previous year,* 6 and opened in 1 769. Its chief
7 Educated at Brasenose College, Ox-
ford ; B-A. 1680; ordained deacon and
priest by the Bishop of Chester in 1 6 So
and 1682 ; master of the Free School at
Liverpool, 1684. Held the rectory of
Garstinj for twelve months (1697-8),
apparently as a 'warming pan.' He is
regarded as co-founder, with Bryan Blun-
dell, of the Blue-coat School, Liverpool.
He died in Dec. 1 71 3. See H. Fishwick,
Gtrstug (Chet. Soc.), 185.
^* Picton, Mamie. Ree. ii, 68.
!* Educated at Pembroke College, Ox-
ford ; M-A. 1698 ; Foster, Alxmad.
* Son of Sir Edward Stanley of Bicker-
staffe ; Fellow of Sidney-Sussex College,
Cambridge ; rector of Win wick 1740 to
1742, and 1764 to 1781 ; also rector of
Bury 1743 ID 177!.
Son of the Rer. George Tin Jinn.
curate of West Kirby ; educated at Brase-
nose College, Oxford ; M-A. 1763 ; died
14 Apr. 1794; Foster, Miaou; Mm
fkearr Sckstl Reg. i, 53.
r * Son of John Renshaw of Liverpool ;
educated at Brasenose College, Oxford ;
MJL 1775; ied 19 Oct. 1829, nine
days after the other rector, Mr. Rough-
sedge ; Foster, AlxmtmL He published a
volume of sermons in 1791.
* He belonged to a mercantile family
in Liverpool, being son of Joseph Brooks,
Everton. He was educated at Trinity
dilirtr, Csjskifri ; M-A. iSoz ; Arch-
deacon of Liverpool, 1848. He died 29
Sept. 1855. ' Few men have enjoyed in
their day and generation more general
respect than fell to the lot of ArrUrsxBSl
Brooks. Of a dignified and noble pre-
sence, his manners were genial, courteous,
and, with perfect troth it may be said,
those of a gentleman. Who fnaiis^
at vestry meetings in the stormy times of
contested Church rates, when occasionally
very strong language was indulged in, a
quiet, pleasant remark from the " old rec-
tor " would calm the troubled waters and
frequently cause all parties to laugh at
their own violence. . . . His great popu-
larity led to the erection of a memorial
statue in St. George's Hall, by B. Spence' ;
Picton' s Lfcerfool, ii, 136, 367, 349.
?* Ordained deacon and priest by the
Bishop of Chester in 1678 and 1679 re ~
pectirely. Ancestor of the Athertons of
Walton.
A William Atherton of Lancashire
entered Emmanuel College, Cambridge,
in 1674, and graduated as B-A. in 1677 ;
information of Mr. J. B. Peace, bursar of
the college.
?* Son of Sylvester Richmond, a Liver-
pool physician ; educated at Brasenose
College, Oxford; B-A. 1695. He was
rector of Garstang from 1698 till 1-12 ;
he was buried in St. Nicholas' Church;
see Fishwick, Ganttmg, 186.
7" Son of John Baldwin, Alderman of
Wigan 5 educated at Jesus College, Cam-
bridge; M-A. 1709. In 1748 he pur-
chased the advowsons of North Meols and
Leyland ; his son John became rector of
the former parish, and himself (1748-52)
and his son Thomas were successively
vicars of Leyland. He was a councillor of
Liverpool from 1733 to 1748. See
Fairer, Nortm Mesh, (4 j Baines, .Lacs.
(ed. Croston), iv, 166.
* Author of two volumes of sermons.
7* Educated at Brasenose College, Ox-
ford ; B^. 1735 ; Foster, Alm*an. For
his sons see Mmrnrmntrr Scmool Reg. (Chet.
Soc.), ii, 13. See Gilbert WakenekTs
w Chosen by a majority of die mayor
and council.
^Sonof Edward Roughseoge of Liver-
pool ; educated at Brasenose College, Ox-
ford ; M^. 1771. He died 10 Oct.
1829 j Foster,
46
"** Also vicar of Child wall, 1824-
70-
aM Educated at Clare College, Cam-
bridge ; M-A. 1852. Vicar of Cogges,
Oxfordshire, 186870 ; Hon. Canon of
Liverpool, 1880.
881 Educated at Trinity College, Cam-
bridge ; M-A. 1890. Vicar of St. Marc's,
Rochdale, 1895 ; of St. Thomas's, Sun-
derland, 1900 ; Rector of Gateshead,
1901 ; Hon. Canon of Liverpool, 1905.
" I Geo. I, cap. 21.
* Strmmger im Liverpool. From this
guide, of which there were many editions,
much of the information in the text is
derived.
At one end of the ' terrace ' was the
office of the clerk of the market ; at the
other that of the night watch. There was
a vault beneath the church for interments.
The interior fittings were good. The east
window had a picture of the Crucifixion,
inserted in 1832. There were originally
two ministers, the chaplain and the
lecturer, and the appointment was i-valry
a stepping-stone to the rectory ; D.
Thorn in Trmms. Hist. Soc. iv, 161. This
essay on the changes and migrations of
churches was continued in vol. v, and
illustrated with views of the older build-
ings.
** An effort was made to retain die
spire. There is an account of this church
and St. John's by Mr. Henry Pert in
Trims. Hot. Soc. (new ser.), xv, 2744.
** 21 Geo. n, cap. 24.
" Strmmger im LrverfoeL
f The Bishop of Liverpool's com-
mission in 1902 recommended that the
incumbency be extinguished at the next
vacancy, die district to be annrxrd to St.
Michael's, Pitt Street,
" 2 Geo. Ill, cap. 68 ; the same Act
authorised St. John's Church. There were
formerly two incumbents at St. PauTs.
u
\
WEST DERBY HUNDRED
LIVERPOOL
feature is a dome ; internally this had the result of
rendering the minister's voice inaudible. In time
this defect was remedied, but changes in the neigh-
bourhood deprived the church of its congregation,
and falling into a dangerous condition, it was closed
by the corporation in igoo. 809
St. Anne's, also erected under the authority of
Parliament, 810 was built by two private gentlemen in
1772 ; it was * chiefly in the Gothic style.' The first
minister, the Rev. Claudius Crigan, was appointed to
the see of Sodor and Man in 1783, in the expecta-
tion, as it was said, that he would live only a short
time, until the son of the Duchess of Atholl, sove-
reign of the Isle, should be old enough ; he lived
thirty years longer, surviving his intended successor. 811
The old church was removed a little eastward to
enable Cazneau Street to go through to St. Anne
Street, the corporation replacing it by the present
church, consecrated in 1871.
In 1776 a Nonconformist chapel in Temple Court
was purchased by the rector of Aughton and opened
in connexion with the Established Church. In .
1820, some time after his death, it was purchased by
the corporation and demolished. 81 * In 1776 also
another Nonconformist chapel, in Harrington Street,
was opened as St. Mary's in connexion with the
Established Church ; the congregation is supposed
to have acquired St. Matthew's, in Key Street, in
1795, after which St. Mary's was demolished. 81 *
St. John's, like St. Paul's, was built under the
auspices of the corporation, and consecrated in 1785 :
the style was the spurious Gothic of the time. There
was a large public burial ground attached, consecrated
in 1767. Becoming unserviceable as a church, there
being but a scanty congregation, it was closed in
1898, demolished, and the site sold to the corpora-
tion. 814
Trinity Church, St. Anne Street, was erected by
private subscription in I792. 814 In the same year a
Baptist Chapel in Byrom Street was purchased and
opened as St. Stephen's Church. 816 This was taken
down in 1871 in order to allow the street to be
widened, the corporation building the present church
further north. In 1795 the English Presbyterian
or Unitarian Chapel in Key Street was purchased for
the Established worship, being named St. Matthew's.
It was consecrated in 1798. The site being required
in 1 848 for the Exchange railway station, the Lan-
cashire and Yorkshire Company purchased a Scotch
Presbyterian Chapel in Scotland Road, which was
thereupon consecrated as St. Matthew's. 817 In 1798
a tennis court in Grosvenor Street was converted into
a place of worship and licensed for service as All
Saints' Church. It continued in use until the present
church of All Saints', Great Nelson Street, was built
in i848. 818
Christ Church, Hunter Street, was built in 1797
by John Houghton. 81 ' It was intended to use an
amended version of the Book of Common Prayer, but
the design proving a failure, the church was 'put on the
establishment,' and consecrated in i8oo. MO Originally
there was a second or upper gallery, close to the roof,
but this was taken away about 1865.
St. Mark's was built by subscription in 1803, and
consecrated in 1815, becoming established by an
Act of Parliament ; 811 the projector was the Rev.
Thomas Jones, of Bolton, who died suddenly on a
journey to London before the opening. 828 St. An-
drew's, Renshaw Street, was erected by Sir John
Gladstone in 1815 ; 8M the site being required for the
enlargement of the Central Station, a new St. An-
drew's was built in Toxteth in 1893. St. Philip's,
Hardman Street, was one of the ' iron churches ' of
the time ; it was opened in 1 8 1 6 and afterwards
regulated by an Act of Parliament. 814 It was sold in
1882, the Salvation Army acquiring it, and a new
St. Philip's built in Sheil Road. 815
More costly churches were about the same time
designed and slowly carried out by the public
authorities. St. Luke's, Bold Street, was begun in
1811, but not completed and opened till 1831 ; 8 * 6
it is a florid specimen of perpendicular Gothic, the
chancel being a copy of the Beauchamp Chapel, War-
wick. 8 " St. Michael's, Pitt Street, in the Corinthian
style, but with a lofty spire, was begun in 1816 under
Acts of Parliament, 828 and opened in 1826. There is
a large graveyard around it.
The chapel of the Blind Asylum was built in 1819
809 It is proposed to abolish the in-
cumbency and sell the site.
810 12 Geo. Ill, cap. 36. The church
was remarkable for being placed north and
south. It stood on the line of Cazneau
Street between Rose Place and Great
Richmond Street. A part of the ground
remains open.
A district was assigned to it under St.
Martin's Church Act, 10 Geo. IV, cap.
ii.
811 Church Congress Guide, 1904. This
contains much information as to the pre-
sent condition of the churches, of which
use has been made.
812 Trans. Hist. Soc. iv, 139. It had
been called the Octagon. It is mentioned
in Brooke's Liverpool as it -was.
818 Trans. Hist. Soc. iv, 157. Other
' private adventure ' chapels were tried
with greater or less success. A Rev.
Thomas Pearson opened the Cockspur
Street Chapel from 1807 to 1812, calling
it St. Andrew's ; then he went to Salem
Chapel in Russell Street, which he re-
named St. Clement's, until 1817. The
curious history of the latter building is
given in the essay in Trans. Hist. Soc. v, 33.
l4 An effort wai made in 1885 to se-
cure the site for a cathedral for the newly
erected Anglican diocese ; but it failed,
although an Act of Parliament (48 & 49
Viet. cap. 51) was obtained authorizing
the scheme. See Trans. Hist. Soc. (new
er.), xv, 27-44.
815 32 Geo. Ill, cap. 76.
816 Trans. Hist. Soc. iv, 178. A district
was assigned to it under St. Martin's
Church Act, 10 Geo. IV.
W Ibid, iv, 143. The old building
was demolished in 1849. A district was
assigned under St. Martin's Church Act.
818 Ibid, iv, 1 66. The incumbent and
sole proprietor, the Rev. Robert Ban-
nister, was the most popular minister of
the time locally ; he died in 1829. Some
singular occurrences in the church's his-
tory are related in the essay referred to.
It does not seem to have been licensed
until 1833.
819 A small burial ground was attached,
and a vault was constructed below the
church. The endowment was 105 a
year, derived from the rents of twenty-
four pews. The upper gallery was free,
for the poor. The view from the cupola
was in 1812 recommended to the Stranger
in Liverpool,
47
820 39 & 40 Geo. Ill, cap. 106 'for
establishing a new church or chapel
(Christ's), lately erected on the south side
of Hunter Street'; Trans. Hist. Soc. iv, 167.
It is proposed to extinguish the incum-
bency, and sell the church and site.
831 56 Geo. Ill, cap. 65 ; amended by
2 & 3 Viet. cap. 33. It is now proposed to
extinguish the incumbency and sell the
church and site.
822 Stranger in Liverpool.
828 St. Mary's, an oratory or cemetery
chapel in Mulberry Street, now disused,
was consecrate;! about the same time.
824 i Geo. IV, cap. 2.
825 The old church seems to have been
consecrated in 1816, though this is
questioned.
826 An Act was obtained in 1822 ; 3
Geo. IV, cap. 19 ; also 2*3 Viet. cap. 33.
W The cost was over 44,000 ; the
architect was John Foster.
828 54 Geo. Ill, cap. 1 1 1 ; 4 Geo. IV,
cap. 89 ; 2 & 3 Viet. cap. 33. 'The
parish authorities, after spending 35,000
upon it, handed it over to the corpora-
tion, who finished it at an additional cost of
50,000.' More than a third of the seats
were free.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
in Hotham Street in imitation of the Temple of
Jupiter at JEgma.. The site being required for Lime
Street Station, the building was taken down and care-
fully re-erected in its present position in Hardman
Street in i85o. 819 It is the Liverpool home of Broad
Church doctrine.
St. David's, for Welsh-speaking Anglicans, was built
in iSzy. 830 As far back as 1793 Welsh services had
been authorized in St. Paul's Church.** 1 Another
special church was the Mariners' Church, an old
sloop-of-war moored in George's Dock. It was used
from 1827, but ultimately sank at its moorings in
1872.""
St. Martin's in the Fields, a Gothic building with
a western spire, was erected out of a Parliamentary
grant in 1829, the land being a gift by Edward
Houghton. 833 It was the first Liverpool church to be
affected by the Tractarian movement. 834
St. Catherine's, Abercromby Square, was conse-
crated in January I83I, 835 a fortnight after St.
Bride's. 838 The first church of St. Matthias was
built in 1833-4. in Love Lane, but the site being
required by the railway company, the present church
in Great Howard Street was built in 1 848 ; the old
one was accidentally destroyed by fire. 837 St.
Saviour's, Falkner Square, was built by subscription
in 1839 ; ** was burnt down in 1900 and rebuilt in
1901 on the old plan. 838 In 1841 a congregation which
had for some five years met in the chapel in Sir
Thomas's Buildings, which they called St. Simon's,
acquired a chapel previously used by Presbyterians
and Independents, and this was consecrated as
St. Simon's. 839 The site being required for Lime
Street Station, a new church was in 1848 built close
by, 840 and this was taken down and rebuilt in its
present position in 186672, on an enlargement of
the station.
A building in Hope Street, erected about fifteen
years earlier for the meetings of the ' Christian
Society,' and in 1838 occupied by the Rev. Robert
Aitken, an Anglican minister who adopted 'revivalist '
methods, was in 1841 acquired for the Established
Church and called St. John the Evangelist's." 1 It
was abandoned in 1853, but under the name of
Hope Hall is still used for religious and other meet-
ings. In 1841 also the churches of St. Bartholomew
and St. Silas were opened. 84 ' St. Alban's, Bevington,
dates from 1849-50.
In 1854 Holy Innocents' in Myrtle Street, pri-
marily the chapel of the adjoining orphan asylums,
was opened. All Souls', begun in the same year, had
as first incumbent Dr. Abraham Hume, one of the
founders of the Lancashire and Cheshire Historic
Society. 843 ' As the population of this parish is
mostly Roman Catholic ' it is proposed to abandon
the building. 844 A Wesleyan chapel was acquired
and in 1858 consecrated as St. Columba's ; soon
afterwards St. Mary Magdalene's was erected for an
object indicated by its dedication ; MS and more
recently St. James the Less' M6 and St. Titus' 847 have
been built, the former serving to perpetuate the High
Church tradition of St. Martin's when this had re-
sumed its old ways. 848
The new cathedral is being erected within the
township. The Church House in Lord Street provide*
a central meeting-place and offices for the different
societies and committees ; it contains a library also.
Scottish Presbyterian ism was first represented by
the Oldham Street Church, opened in 1793 ; 84S St.
Andrew's in Rodney Street in 1824 ; 8M and Mount
Pleasant in I827- 851 Others arose about twenty
years later : St. George's, Myrtle Street, in 1845 ; 8M
Canning Street MS and Islington in 1 8^6, Kt and St.
Peter's, Silvester Street, in 184.9.*^ Another was
8 * J Trans. Hist. Soc. iv, 153 ; 10 Geo.
IV, cap. 15.
880 7 Geo. IV, cap. 51.
831 This was supposed to be the first
instance of the kind in England ; the
corporation allowed an additional ,60
salary on account of it ; Stranger in
Liverpool. The services were still held in
1852.
882 The vessel was the Tees, and was
presented by the government to the
Mariners' Church Society, formed in 1826.
883 Out of two millions voted 20,000
was spent on this church. The Act lo
Geo. IV, cap. n, vested it in the mayor
and burgesses, and made provision for the
division of the parish into districts.
884 Church Congress Guide.
885 It exhibited ' the Grecian style in
its purity and perfection,* according to the
opinion of the time. A district was
given by a special local Act, 10 Geo. IV,
cap. 51.
886 A district was assigned to it under
St. Martin's Church Act. For its en-
dowment an Act was passed, I & 2 Will.
IV, cap. 49.
8*7 Trans. Hist. Soc. iv, 159.
888 A district was assigned to it under
St. Martin's Act, and it was consecrated
in 1854. One of the incumbents, the
Rev. John Wareing Bardsley, was pro-
moted to the bishopric of Sodor and Man
:n 1887 and of Carlisle in 1892 ; he died
in 1904.
889 Trans. Hist. Soc. iv, 155. The site
was above the centre of the present Lime
Street Station.
840 In St. Vincent's Street.
841 Trans. Hist. Soc. iv, 182.
843 They were consecrated in 1841 and
1843 respectively.
848 Dr. Hume considered that only an
endowed church could minister to the
needs of the poorer districts, and pointed
to the regular migration of Nonconformist
chapels from the poorer to the richer
districts, i.e. the building followed the
congregation. All Souls' appears to have
been built to illustrate his theories. He
remained its incumbent until his death
in 1884. See Diet. Nat. Biog.
844 Church Congress Guide,
848 Districts were assigned under St.
Martin's Church Act, 10 Geo. IV. St.
Mary Magdalene's was built in 1859 and
consecrated in 1862.
846 Opened January 1863 ; consecrated,
W 7 Built in 1864 and consecrated in
1865. It is proposed to extinguish the
incumbency and dispose of the site.
848 The patronage of many of the new
churches is in the hands of trustees. The
Crown and the Bishop of Liverpool pre-
sent alternately to All Saints', All Souls',
St. Alban's, and St. Simon's ; the Bishop
alone to Holy Innocents' ; the Bishop,
Archdeacon, and Rector of Liverpool
jointly to St. Mary Magdalene's ; the
Archdeacon and Rector of Liverpool and
the Rector of Walton to St. Titus's ; the
Rector of Liverpool to St. Matthew's, St.
Matthias's, and St. Stephen's. Mr. H. D.
Horsfall has the patronage of St. Paul's.
The incumbent of St. David's, the Welsh
church, is appointed by trustees jointly
with the communicants.
849 Previously, it is said, they wor-
shipped with the Unitarians, who still re-
tained their old title of Presbyterians in
consequence of the legal penalties attach-
ing to a denial of the Trinity. Oldham
Street Church was built by a combination
of shareholders or proprietor?, among
them being (Sir) John Gladstone.
In 1792 the Scotch Presbyterians used
Cockspur Street Chapel, previously the
Liverpool cockpit ; Tram. Hist. Soc. v, 38,
where an account of the many uses of the
building may be seen.
850 A full account of the Scottish
churches in Liverpool, by Dr. D.ivKi
Thorn, may be seen in Tram. Hitt. Stc.
ii, 69, 229.
851 This was built by the Scotch
Seceders, afterwards the United Presby-
terians ; it replaced a smaller chapel in
Gloucester Street, built in 1807 after-
wards St. Simon's. The United Presby-
terians used a meeting room in Gill
Street about 1868.
8sa The congregation were seceders
from St. Andrew's, Rodney Street, under
the influence of the Free Church move-
ment.
853 A secession, under the same in-
fluence, from Oldham Street Church.
854 This was connected with the Irish
Presbyterians. It is now a Jewish Syna-
gogue.
855 An earlier St. Peter's, built in
1841, in Scotland Road, had to be aban-
doned owing to the Free Church contro-
versy breaking up the congregation ; it is
now St. Matthew's ; Trans. Hist. Soc. iv,
148.
WEST DERBY HUNDRED
built in Vauxhall Road in 1867. Except the first
two, which remain connected with the Established
Church of Scotland, they are now associated with the
Presbyterian Church of England. The formal union
which constituted this organization out of many
differing ones took place at Liverpool in l876. 857
The German Evangelical Church occupies New-
ington Chapel, formerly Congregational. It seems
to have originated in a body of converted Jews
speaking German, who met for worship in the
chapel in Sir Thomas' Buildings from about 1831,
and were considered as attached to the Established
Church. 858
Wesleyan Methodism made itself felt by the middle
of the 1 8th century. Pitt Street chapel was built in
I 75> Si9 enlarged 1765, rebuilt in 1803, and altered
in 1875 ; John Wesley preached here for a week in
1758. A second chapel within the township was
built in 1 79O, 860 and Cranmer Chapel at the north
end in I857. 861 These are now all connected with
the Wesleyan Mission, formed in 1875, which has
also acquired the old Baptist Chapel in Soho Street,
now Wesley Hall, and a mission room near. 861 Leeds
Street Chapel, of some note in its day, was opened
about 1798 and pulled down in iS^o.* 63 Formerly,
from I 8 I i to 1864, the chapel in Benn's Gardens was
also used by Welsh-speaking Wesleyans. 864 Trinity
Chapel, Grove Street, erected in 1859, is the head
of a regular circuit ; the conference was held here in
1 88 1. The Wesleyans have also mission rooms.
The Wesleyan Methodist Association, later the
United Methodist Free Church, . had a chapel in
Pleasant Street before 1844, now St. Columba's ; it
was replaced in 1 8 5 2 by Salem Chapel or St. Clement's
Church, in Russell Street, 866 recently given up, the
Pupil Teachers' College now occupying the site.
Another chapel in Scotland Road, built in 1843, is
still used, as also one in Grove Street, built in
LIVERPOOL
I873. 867 The Welsh-speaking members used a chapel
in Gill Street from 1845 to iS6-j. m
The Methodist New Connexion, who appeared as
early as 1799, had Zion Chapel, Maguire Street, by
St. John's Market, before 1813 ; they removed to
Bethesda in Hotham Street about 1833, after which
the old building was converted into a fish hall. 86 *
They had also a chapel in Bevington Hill. Both
have long been given up. 870 The Primitive Metho-
dists also had formerly meeting-places in Liverpool.*"
At the Bishop of Chester's visitations in 1665 and
later years Anabaptists were presented, and it was
said that conventicles were held. The Baptists, who
had from 1707, if not earlier, met in Everton,
opened a chapel in Byrom Street in \j2i. m A much
larger chapel was erected in 1789 in the same street,
and the old one sold to the Established Church. The
later building is still in use as Byrom Hall. 873 Myrtle
Street Chapel, the successor of one in Lime Street,
built in 1803, was opened in 1844 and enlarged in
i859. 874 In 1819 a chapel was built in Great Cross-
hall Street. 876 Soho Street Chapel, begun for ' Bishop
West,' was used by Baptists from 1837 to 1889,
when Jubilee Drive Chapel replaced it. 87 ' The
Welsh-speaking Baptists had a chapel in Ormond
Street, dating from 1 799, but it has been given up,
one in Everton succeeding it. 877
The Sandemanians or Glassites long had a meeting-
place in the town. 878
Newington Chapel was in 1776 erected by Con-
gregationalists dissatisfied with the Unitarianism of
the Toxteth Chapel, and wishing to have a place
of worship nearer to Liverpool. 579 It was given up
in 1872, and is now the German Church. A youth-
ful preacher, Thomas Spencer, attracting great con-
gregations, a new chapel was begun for him in 1811
in Great George Street ; he was drowned before it
was finished, 6SJ and Dr. Thomas Raffles, who was its
85 ? The Reformed Presbyterian Church
or Covenanters had a meeting-place in
Hunter Street in 1852, afterwards moving
to Shaw Street, Everton ; see Tram. Hist.
Soc. ii, 73, 230.
848 Ibid, iv, 174 5 v, 49.
859 Ibid, v, 46.
860 In Mount Pleasant ; afterwards
called the Central Hall.
861 Less permanent meeting-places were
in Edmund Street, used in 1852, and
Benledi Street, in 1863. For the former
see Trans. Hist. Soc. v, 49.
862 The head of this mission for many
years was the late Rev. Charles Garrett,
one of the notable figures in local
Methodism. He died in 1900. The site
of the Unitarian church in Renshaw
Street has been acquired for the Charles
Garrett Hall, in connexion with the
work he organized.
868 Trans. Hist. Soc. v, 47. The chapel
in Great Homer Street, Everton, re-
placed it.
864 Ibid, v, 51. The chapel in Shaw
Street, Everton, took its place. Another
meeting-place of Welsh Wesleyans was
in Burroughs Garden, which seems to
have been replaced by a chapel in Boundary
Street East about 1870. Services have
also been held in Great Crosshall Street
(1871-84) and Hackins Hey (1896).
866 For the history of this building,
occupied by preaching adventurers and
different denominations, including the
Swedenborgians, see Trans. Hist. Soc. v,
33-7-
*7 The same body has a preaching
place in Bostock Street. In 1852 it had
one in Bispham Street.
868 Trans. Hist. Soc. (new sen), vii, 322.
869 Trans. Hist. Soc. v, 50. They had
previously had Maguire Street, Cockspur
Street, and other places, 43, 40.
870 Bethesda was given up about 1866 ;
it is represented by a chapel in Everton.
The old building was for some time used
as a dancing room. Bevington Hill was
given up about the same time.
W 1 Trans. Hist. Soc. v, 42, 44. One in
Rathbone Street was maintained until
about 1885. It seems to have belonged
to the Independent Methodists.
8 ? a Trans. Hist. Soc. iv, 178. The first
minister, J. Johnson, offended some of his
congregation by his doctrines, and a chapel
in Stanley Street was in 1747 built for
him, where he preached till his death.
This congregation migrated to a new
chapel in Comus Street in 1800; ibid,
v, 51.
8 ' 8 Ibid, v, 23 ; services were discon-
tinued from 1846 to 1850 on account of
its purchase by the London and North
Western Railway Company.
8 ' 4 Ibid, v, 26 ; the stricter Calvinists
separated about 1800 from the Byrom
Street congregation.
8 ? 5 Ibid, v, 49 ; the Particular Baptists,
who had had Stanley Street Chapel from
1800, succeeded the first congregation, and
moved in 1 847 to Shaw Street. The Welsh
Baptists had it in 1853 and 1864. The
building has ceased to be used for worship.
49
Other places are known to have been
used at various times by Baptist congre-
gations ; ibid, v, 33, 48, 49. Two, in
Oil Street and Comus Street, existed in
1824 ; the latter was still in use in 1870,
and seems to have been replaced in 1888
by one at Mile End, now abandoned.
876 Ibid iv, 177. This congregation
had sprung from a split in the Byrom
Street one in 1826, and had had places of
worship in Oil Street and Cockspur Street.
A somewhat earlier division (1821)
resulted in the Sidney Place Chapel,
Edge Hill.
8 '7 This was perhaps the Edmund
Street Chapel mentioned in the Directory
of 1825 ; later were the chapels in Great
Crosshall Street (already named) and Great
Howard Street. The last-named, begun
in 1835, was removed to Kirkdale in
1876. A later congregation (1869) met
in St. Paul's Square for some years.
? For details see Trans. Hist. Soc.
(new ser.), vii, 321. The places were
Matthew Street, and then Gill Street t
about 1845.
s < 9 For the history of these buildings
see Trans. Hist. Soc. v, 3-9 ; and Night-
ingale's Lanes. Nonconformity, vi, I2O on.
8o See his Life by Dr. Raffles (Liver-
pool, 1813). Thomas Spencer was born
at Hertford 21 Jan. 1791 ; commenced
preaching when fifteen years of age ; was
called to Newington Chapel in Aug. 1810,
and after a remarkably successful ministry
there, was drowned while bathing at th
Dingle, 5 Aug. 1811.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
minister for nearly fifty years, became one of the most
influential men in Liverpool. 881 This chapel was burnt
down in 1840, and the present building erected.
Seceders from All Saints' Church in 1800 met for
worship in Maguire Street and Cockspur Street, and
in 1803 built Bethesda Chapel in Hotham Street;
from this they moved in 1837 to Everton Crescent. 881
Burlington Street Chapel was bought as an exten-
sion by the Crescent congregation in 1859; about
1890 it was weakened by a division, most of the
congregation assembling in Albert Hall for worship ;
this is now recognized as a Congregational meeting,
but Burlington Street was worked for a time as a
mission by the Huyton Church. 883
The Welsh Congregationalists have a chapel in
Grove Street, in place of Salem Chapel, Brownlow
Hill, 884 given up in 1868. Formerly they had one in
Great Crosshall Street, built in 1817, but the congre-
gation has migrated to Kirkdale and Everton.
In Elizabeth Street is a United Free Gospel
Church, built in 1871 to replace one of 1845 as an
Independent Methodist Church.
The Calvinistic Methodists, the most powerful
church in Wales, are naturally represented in Liver-
pool, where Welshmen are very numerous. The first
chapel was built in Pall Mall in 1787, and rebuilt in
1 8 1 6, but demolished to make way for the enlarge-
ment of Exchange Station in 1878, a new one in
Crosshall Street taking its place. 886 There are others
in Chatham Street and Catherine Street built in 1861
and 1872 respectively ; at the latter the services are
in English.
The Society of Friends had a meeting-place in
Hackins Hey as early as 1 706, by Quakers' Alley ;
this remained standing until 1863. The place of
meeting was removed to Hunter Street in 1790 ; this
continues in use.* 87
The Moravians held services ' for many years ' in
the Religious Tract Society's rooms.
The Berean Universalist Church was opened in 1 85 I
in Crown Street, but had only a short existence. 888
The Bethel Union, an undenominational evange-
listic association for the benefit of sailors, maintains
several places of worship near the docks. 889
The Young Men's Christian Association has a large
institute in Mount Pleasant, opened in 1877.
It has been shown above that Nonconformity was
strong in the town after 1662. A chapel was built
in Castle Hey, and the minister of Toxteth Park is
said to have preached there on alternate Sundays
from i689. 890 This was replaced by Benn's Gardens
Chapel in 1727, from which the congregation, which
had become Unitarian, moved to Renshaw Street in
181 1, and from this recently to Ullet Road, Toxteth.
Another Protestant Nonconformist chapel was built
in Key Street in 1707 ; in this case also the congre-
gation became Unitarian. 891 A new chapel in Paradise
Street replaced it in 179 1, and a removal to Hope
Street was made in 1849, the abandoned building
being turned by its new owners into a theatre. The
Octagon Chapel in Temple Court was used from
1762 to 1776 to meet a desire for liturgical services,
the organ being used ; but it proved a failure and
was sold to the Rev. W. Plumbe, Rector of Aughton,
who preached in it as St. Catherine's. The Uni-
tarians have a mission room in Bond Street. 89 *
The Christadelphians formerly (1868-78) had a
meeting-place in Gill Street.
The Catholic Apostolic Church (Irvingite) was
built in 1856. The choir is a rich specimen of
flamboyant Gothic.
The ancient religion appears to have been stamped
out very quickly in Liverpool, which became a
decidedly Protestant town, and there is scarcely even
an incidental allusion to its existence 8M until the
beginning of the 1 8th century. Spellow and Aig-
burth were the nearest places at which mass could
occasionally be heard in secret. Fr. William Gilli-
881 Hi biography was written by his
son, Thomas Stamford Raffles, who was
for many years the stipendiary magistrate
of Liverpool ; see also Diet, Nat. Bio^.
Dr. Raffles was born in London in 1788,
educated at Homerton College, LL.D.
Aberdeen 1820, died 18 Aug. 1863, and
was buried in the Necropolis.
888 Salem Chapel in Russell Street was
used from 1808 to 1812 by seceders
from Bethesda.
883 Gloucester Street Chapel was occu-
pied by Congregationalists from 1827 to
1840, when it became St. Simon's
Church.
884 Salem Chapel in Brownlow Hill was
bought in 1868 by the Crescent congrega-
tion, and occupied until 1892. It is now
a furniture store.
886 In 1825 they had two chapels, in
Pall Mall and Great Crosshall Street ; in
1852 they had four, in Prussia Street (i.e.
Pall Mall), Rose Place (built 1826), Bur-
lington Street, and Mulberry Street (built
184.1). The last-named, having been re-
placed by the Chatham Street Chapel, was
utilized as Turkish baths. Burlington
Street seems to have been removed to
Cranmer Street, built in 1860, now dis-
used. The Rose Place Chapel was at the
corner of Comus Street ; it seems to have
been disused about 1866, a new one in
Fitzclarence Street taking its place.
887 The old meeting-house had a burial
jround attached. The building was used
as a school from 1796 to 1863, when it
was sold and pulled down.
888 Its minister was Dr. David Thorn,
whose essay on the migration of churches
has been frequently quoted in these notes.
He had been minister of the Scotch Church
in Rodney Street, but seceded ; in 1843
he had a congregation in a chapel in Bold
Street.
889 The society had a floating mission
vessel, the William, in the Salthouse Dock
in 1821. Afterwards three buildings on
shore were substituted, in Wapping, Bath
Street, and Norfolk Street.
890 Hist. MSS. Com. Ref. xiv, App. iv,
231 ; the 'new chapel in the Castle Hey
in Liverpool ' and Toxteth Park Chapel
were licensed 'for Samuel Angier.and his
congregation.' See also Peet, Liverpool
in the Reign of Queen Anne, 100. Castle
Hey is now called Harrington Street.
891 For the Unitarian churches see
Tram. Hist. Soc. v, 9-23, 51 ; Nightin-
gale, op. cit. vi, no.
898 Ibid.
894 In the catalogue of burials at the
Harkirk in Little Crosby is the following :
' 1615, May 20. Anne the wife of
George Webster of Liverpool (tenant of
Mr. Crosse) died a Catholic, and being
denied burial at the chapel of Liverpool
by the curate there, by the Mayor, and
by Mr. Moore, was buried ' ; Crosby Rec.
(Chet. Soc.), 72. The Crosse family did
not change their religious profession at
50
once, for in 1628 John Crosse of Liver-
pool, as a convicted recusant, paid double
to the subsidy ; Norris D. (B.M.).
John Sinnot, an Irishman, who died at
his house in Liverpool, had been refused
burial on account of his religion in 1613 ;
Crosby Rec. 70.
The recusant roll of 1641 contains only
five names, four being those of women ;
Trans. Hist. Soc. (new ser.), xiv, 238.
In 1669 four 'papist recusants* were
presented at the Bishop of Chester's visi-
tation, viz. : Breres gent., Mary wife of
George Brettargh, and William Fazaker-
ley and his wife.
In 1683 there were thirty-five persons,
including Richard Lathom, presented for
being absent from church, and in the fol-
lowing year thirty-nine ; Picton's Munic.
Rec. i, 330. The revival of presentations
was no doubt due to the Protestant and
Whig agitation of the time. James II
endeavoured to mitigate the effects of it ;
in 1686, being 'informed that Richard
Lathom of Liverpool, chirurgeon, and
Judith his wife, who keeps also a board-
ing-school for the education of youth at
Liverpool,' had been presented for 'their
exercising the said several vocations with-
out licence, by reason of their religion
(being Roman Catholics),' and being
assured of their loyalty, he authorized
them to continue, remitted penalties in-
curred, and forbade further interference ;
ibid, i, 256.
WEST DERBY HUNDRED
LIVERPOOL
brand, S.J., who then lived at Little Crosby, in 1701
received 3 from Mr. Eccleston 'for helping at
Liverpool.' 895 The first resident missioner known
was Fr. Francis Mannock, S.J., who was living here
in 1710 ; and the work continued in the hands of
the Jesuits until the suppression of the order. The
next priest, Fr. John Tempest, better known by his
alias of Hardesty, built a house for himself near the
Oldhall Street corner of Edmund Street, in which
was a room for a chapel. 896 In 1746, after the
retreat of the Young Pretender, the populace, relieved
of its fears, went to this little chapel, made a bonfire
of the benches and woodwork, and pulled the house
down. 897 Henry Pippard, a merchant of the town,
who married Miss Blundell, the heiress of Little Cros-
by, treated with the mayor and corporation about re-
building the chapel. This, of course, they could not
allow, the law prohibiting the ancient worship under
severe penalties, whereupon he said that no one
could prevent his building a warehouse. This he
did, the upper room being the chapel. 898 It was
wrecked during a serious riot in 1759, but was
enlarged in 1797 and continued to be used until
St. Mary's, from the designs of A. W. Pugin, was built
on the same site and consecrated in 1845. In con-
sequence of the enlargement of Exchange Station it
was taken down, but rebuilt in Highfield Street on
the same plan and with the same material, being
reconsecrated 7 July 1885. The baptismal register
commences in 1741. After the suppression of the
Jesuit order in 1773 the two priests then in charge
continued their labours for ten years, when the Bene-
dictines took charge, and still retain it. 899
They at once sought to obtain an additional site
at what was then the south end of the town, and in
1788 St. Peter's, Seel Street, was opened. It was
enlarged in 1843, and is still served by the same
order. 900 The school in connexion with it was
opened in 1817.
About the same time Fr. John Price, an ex-Jesuit,
was ministering at his house in Chorley Street (1777),
and by and by (1788) built the chapel in Sir Thomas's
buildings, which was used till his death in I8I3. 901
It was then closed, as St. Nicholas' was ready, work
having been commenced in 1808, and the church
opened in i8i2. 902 Since 1850 it has been used as
the cathedral. At the north end of the town
St. Anthony's had been established in 1 804 ; the
present church, on an adjacent site, dates from
1833, and has a burial ground. 903 St. Joseph's in
Grosvenor Street was opened in 1846, a new build-
ing being completed in i878.* 4
These buildings' 05 sufficed till the great immigra-
tion of poor Irish peasants, driven from home by the
famine of 1847. St. Vincent de Paul's mission had
been begun in a room over a stable in 1843, but
after interruption by the fever of 1847 a larger room
in Norfolk Street was secured in 1848, and served
until in 1857 the present church was erected. Holy
Cross was begun in 1848 in a room over a cowhouse
in Standish Street, and in 1850 was given to the care
of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, who are still in
charge. The church was built in 1860, and the
chancel opened in 1875. St. Augustine's, Great
Howard Street, was an offshoot in 1849 from
St. Mary's, and is still in charge of the Benedictines.
MS Foley's Rec. S. J. v, 320. It may
be inferred that tome attempt was made
to provide regular services, and, of course,
that there was a congregation.
886 i while I lived in the foresaid town
I received, one year with another, from the
people about one or two and twenty pounds
a year, by way of contribution towards
my maintenance, and no other subscrip-
tion was ever made for me or for the
buildings. From friends in other places
I had part of the money I had built with,
but much the greatest part was what I
pared, living frugally and as not many
would have been content to live. . . .
Nor do I regret having spent the best
years of my life in serving the poor Catho-
lics of Liverpool ; ' Letter of Fr. Hardesty
in Foley, op. cit. v, 364. Edmund Street
at that time was on the very edge of the
town. On Palm Sunday 1727 there
were 256 palms distributed here ; N.
Blundell's Diary, 224.
"7 Picton's Liverpool, i, 1 80. An ac-
count by Thomas Green, written in 1833,
is preserved at St. Francis Xavier's Col-
lege ; his mother witnessed the scene.
It was printed in the Xaverian of Feb.
1887, and states : 'The incumbents, the
Revs. H. Carpenter and T. Stanley, met
the mob, which behaved with the greatest
respect to the priests and several of the
principal Roman Catholic inhabitants at-
tending there among the rest, Miss
Elizabeth Clifton (afterwards Mrs. Green)
and without noise or violence opened a
clear passage for the Rev. Mr. Carpenter
to go up to the altar and take the
ciborium out of the tabernacle and carry
it by the same passage out of the
chapel.'
898 Subscriptions were collected for it.
The site was at the upper end of Edmund
Street. Considerable precautions were
taken for its safety. The writer just
quoted states that on the street front
three dwelling-houses were built, one to
serve for the resident priests ; at the back
was a small court, and then the 'ware-
house,' the outside gable of which had the
usual teagle rope, block and hook, and
wooden cover. The folding doors were,
however, bricked up within.
He adds the following : ' After 24 Sep-
tember, 1746, when Mr. and Mrs. Green
went to their house in Dale Street, while
the new chapel was being built, mass was
said, Sundays and holidays, in their garrets,
the whole of which, as well as the tea and
lodging rooms of the two stories under-
neath, and the stairs, were filled by their
acquaintances of different rankt and ad-
mitted singly and cautiously through
different entrances, wholly by candle light,
and without the ringing of a bell at the
elevation, &c., but a signal was commu-
nicated from one to another. The house
adjoining on each side to the dwellings of
two very considerable, respectable, and
kind neighbours, Presbyterians, and their
wives, aunts of the present Nicholas
Ashton, esq., of Woolton.'
899 These particulars are from articles
in the Li-v. Cath. An. for 1887 and 1888,
by the Rev. T. E. Gibson, and in the
Xa-vtrian of 1887.
Among the last Jesuits in charge were
Frs. John Price and Raymund Hormasa
alias Harris. The former, after the sup-
pression of the society, settled in Liver-
pool, continuing his ministry as stated in
the text. The latter, who was a Spaniard,
published a defence of the slave trade in
reply to a pamphlet by William Roscoe,
issued in 1788, and was cordially thanked
by the Common Council. He had in
51
1783 been deprived of his faculties by the
Vicar Apostolic, on account of bitter dis-
putes between him and his colleague at
Liverpool over the temporalities of the
mission, and he lived in retirement till his
death in 1789. On account of the dis-
putes the charge of the mission was given
to the Benedictines. A full account of
these matters is given in Gillow, Bibl.
Diet, of Engl. Cath. iii, 392-5 ; Trans.
Hist. Sac. (new ser.), xiii, 162. Harris
preached and printed a sermon ' on Catho-
lic Loyalty to the present Government,'
noticed in the Gent. Mag. Feb. 1777.
900 Trans. Hist. Soc. (new ser.), xiii, 164.
Fr. Archibald Macdonald, the founder,
engaged in the Ossianic controversy ; Diet.
Nat. Biog ; Gillow, op. cit. iv, 369.
901 It was afterwards used at intervals
by a number of religious bodies in turn ;
then as a warehouse ; till a few years ago
it was taken down and the school board
offices erected on the site.
903 It is rather surprising to find it de-
scribed in 1844 as 'an elegant building in
the Gothic style ' ; Stranger in Liverpool,
270.
903 In the original building divine ser-
vice was performed by the 'Rev. Jean
Baptiste Antoine Girardot, a French
emigrant priest by whom it was erected.
M. Girardot was held in high respect for
his many virtues and unostentatious mode
of living ; and besides was much celebrated
in this part of the country for numerous
cures performed by him in cases of
dropsy' ; Dr. Thorn in Trans. Hist. Soc.
v, 32.
904 It had been built on the site of a
famous tennis court as an Anglican church,
All Saints', in 1798, and closed in 1844.
905 St. Patrick B, erected in 1824, is in
Toxteth.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
Later came St. Philip Neri's Oratory near Mount
Pleasant, 1853. All Souls', in Collingwood Street,
was erected in 1870 by the efforts of a Protestant
merchant, who was anxious to provide a remedy for
the horrible scenes at wakes ; the middle aisle of the
church was for the bodies of the departed to lie in
previous to interment, and was quite cut off from the
aisles where the congregation assembled, by glass
partitions. This has recently been changed. St.
Bridget's, Bevington Hill, was also opened in 1870,
and rebuilt in 1 894. St. Sylvester's in Silvester Street
began with schools in 1872 ; at the beginning of 1875
a wooden building was erected adjacent, continuing
in use until 1889, when the present permanent church
was opened.
There are two convents : Notre Dame, at the train-
ing college, Mount Pleasant, 1856; and St. Catherine,
Eldon Place, 1 896.
The followers of Emmanuel Swedenborg have long
had a place of meeting in Liverpool, where they had
been known from 1 79 5 .* 6 The present building, New
Jerusalem, in Bedford Street, was opened in 1857.
The IVormons have an institute. 907
The Jews have had a recognized meeting-place
since about 1750. The earliest known was at the
foot of Matthew Street ; it had a burial place attached ;
afterwards Turton Court, near the Custom House,
and Frederick Street were places of Jewish worship. 903
The synagogue in Seel Street was built in 1807, the
congregation migrating to Princes Road in 1874.
A disused Presbyterian church in Islington has recently
(1908) been purchased and reopened as the Central
Synagogue. The Hope Place Synagogue of the New
Hebrew Congregation was built in 1856.^
The establishment of the diocese
CATHEDRAL of Liverpool 910 immediately gave
rise to the demand for the erection
of a cathedral ; the parish church of St. Peter, which
had been assigned as pro-cathedral by an Order in
Council of 1880, being manifestly inadequate, being
indeed the most modest church to which that dignity
has been allotted in any English diocese. A com-
mittee was formed in 1881, and a lively discussion as
to sites was carried on, 911 the St. John's churchyard
site (west of St. George's Hall) being eventually
decided on. In 1885 an Act was obtained empower-
ing the erection of a cathedral, and a competition was
held for designs," 1 and the premium was awarded to
Mr. William Emerton. The problem of raising
funds, however, was found too great, and in 1888
the project was abandoned. Under Bishop Ryle the
main strength of the diocese was devoted to the
urgently-needed provision of new churches and the
augmentation oi poorer livings. At the beginning of
1901, however, the project was revived 813 by Bishop
Chavasse, who appointed a committee to discuss the
question of sites. Amid much public discussion,
St. James's Mount, in the south-central district of the
city, was decided upon a rocky plateau occupied in
part by public gardens and overlooking an ancient
quarry, now used as a cemetery. The site presented
a clear open space of 22 acres ; the steep side of the
plateau, clothed with trees, gives it something of the
picturesqueness of Durham, while the deep hollow of
the cemetery will serve to isolate the cathedral and
give to its architecture its full effect. Over 150 ft.
above sea-level, the site will enable the cathedral to
dominate the city and the estuary. The drawbacks
of the site were two : its shape forbade a proper
orientation, and made it necessary to put the ' east '
end of the cathedral to the south, while the fact that
the southern part of the plateau was made ground
involved a large expenditure for foundations.
The scheme was formally initiated and committees
appointed 914 at a town hall meeting on 17 June 1901,
and on 2 August 1902 an Act was obtained authoriz-
ing the purchase from the corporation of the St. James's
Mount site. After a preliminary competition, com-
petitive designs were submitted by five selected can-
didates on 30 April 1903 ; the assessors, Mr. G. F.
Bodley and Mr. Norman Shaw, selected the design of
Mr. G. Gilbert Scott, who was accordingly appointed
architect in conjunction 1 with Mr. Bodley. On
19 July 1904 the foundation stone was laid by His
Majesty the King. The general character of the
design is Gothic, but it is not a reproduction of the
style of any particular period. The main qualities
aimed at are simplicity and massiveness. The most
striking features will be the twin central towers and a
third tower at the north end, respectively rising 415
and 355 ft. above sea-level ; the vast height of the
nave and choir, and the six high transepts, which are
carried to the full roof height, and will produce
unusual light effects. Both in height and in area the
dimensions considerably exceed those of any other
English cathedral. The principal dimensions are as
follows :
Total external length (including
Lady chapel) ..... 584 ft.
Length of nave, without narthex 192
Width of nave between centres
Width across transepts ...
Width of north fafade ...
Height of arches in nave and
choir ........
Height of barrel-vaulting in
nave and choir .....
Height of vaulting in high tran-
septs ........
Height of vaulting under towers
Height of central towers . . .
Height of northern tower .
198
196
65
116
140
161
260
200
Superficial area ..... 90,000 sq. ft.
906 They occupied Key Street Chapel
from 1791 to 1795. In 1795 Maguire
Street Chapel was built for them, but the
donor became bankrupt and the place was
sold. From 1815 to 1819 the Sweden-
borgians used Cockspur Street Chapel, from
1819 to 1823 they shared Maguire Street
with the Primitive Methodists, and from
1838 to 1852 they occupied Salem Chapel
in Russell Street, removing to the Concert
Room in Lord Nelson Street until the
Bedford Street Church was ready ; Tram.
Hi,t. Soc. v, 33, 38, 43.
"'~ In 1863 their meeting-place was at
the corner of Crown Street and Brownlow
Hill ; later in Islington, and Bittern Street.
908 For fuller accounts see Trans. Hist.
Soc. v, 53, and (new ser.), XT, 45-84..
There were burial places at Frederick
Street and at the corner of Oake and
Crown Streets.
One of the results of the Jewish settle-
ment in Liverpool was a series of three
letters addressed to it by J. Willme of
Martinscroft near Warrington, printed in
1756.
52
909 The congregation had previously
met in Pilgrim Street.
910 y.C.H. Lanes, ii, 96.
911 Articles in Nineteenth Century, 1881
and 1884, &c.
912 Copies of designs are preserved in
the City Library.
918 A collection of papers, &c., &c., in
seven volumes, in the City Library, pro-
vides full material for the history of tlis
movement.
914 Rep. of Proceedings published by
Cathedral Committee.
WEST DERBY HUNDRED
LIVERPOOL
It is estimated that the cost of erecting the whole
cathedral will be at least 750,000 ; of the Lady
Chapel, choir, and twin towers, which are being first
built, about 350,000. Towards this sum over
300,000 has been already contributed, including
over 70,000 for special purposes, among which may
be named the Lady Chapel, to be erected by the Earle
and Langton families, the chapter-house, to be erected
by the Masonic Lodges of the West Lancashire pro-
vince, as well as several windows, the organ, the
font, &c., which have been already given by various
donors.
The first attempt to establish in
UNIfERSITT Liverpool an institution for higher
education was the foundation of
the Royal Institution, opened in 1817 ; it maintained
collections of scientific objects and paintings, it also
organized series of lectures in its early years. 91 * But,
though highly valuable as a nucleus for the meetings
of various learned societies, it never developed, as its
founders had hoped, into a great teaching institution.
In 1 8 5 7 an attempt was made to develop, in connexion
with the Mechanics' Institute (now the Liverpool
Institute), a system of courses of instruction in prepara-
tion for London degrees. 916 This organization was
called Queen's College ; but, based upon the fun-
damentally false idea that instruction of this type could
be made to pay its own expenses, it never attained
any success, and being merely a drain upon the re-
sources of the flourishing schools to which it was at-
tached, it was finally suppressed in 1879.
Meanwhile, in 1834, the physicians and surgeons
of the Royal Infirmary had organized a Medical School,
wh ch attained considerable success, though quite un-
endowed. This school was to be the real nucleus of
the university. It was from the teachers in this
school all leading medical men in the city, among
whom should be especially named the late Sir W. M.
Banks and Dr. R. Caton that the main demand
came for the foundation of a college, during the seven-
ties, when such institutions were springing up in most
large English towns. 917 They received warm support
from a few of the most enlightened citizens, especially
from the Rev. Charles Beard, whose influence in the
early history of the university can scarcely be over-
valued ; and the proposal to found a university college
was formally initiated at a town's meeting in 1878.
But the merchants of the city were found to be hard
to convert to any interest in the scheme. It took a
year to collect 10,000 ; and it was not until Mr.
William Rathbone, 913 relieved from Parliamentary
duties by a defeat at the election of 1880, took up
the cause that money came in freely. In a few
months, mainly by his personal efforts, 80,000 were
collected. In October 1 8 8 1 a charter of incorporation
was obtained, based on the lines laid down in London,
Manchester, and elsewhere; in January 1882 the
institution, under the name of University College,
Liverpool, commenced its work in a disused lunatic
asylum on a site beside the Royal Infirmary and the
Medical School, provided by the corporation. At the
outset there were six chairs and two lectureships.
The next stage in the history of the university was
marked by its admission in 1884 as a mexber of the
federal Victoria University, in association with Owens
College, Manchester, and (after 1887) Yorkshire
College, Leeds. In order to obtain this admission an
additional endowment of 30,000 was raised by
public subscription, out of which two new chairs
were founded ; while the old Medical School was
formally incorporated with the college as its medical
faculty. The association with the Victoria University
lasted for nineteen years, and was in many ways
advantageous. The progress of the college in equip-
ment and teaching strength during this period was
both rapid and steady. A series of admirably equipped
buildings was erected ; a spacious chemical laboratory
(opened 1886, enlarged 1896) ; a large engineering
laboratory (the gift of Sir A. B. Walker, 1889) ; the
main Victoria building, including a fine library pre-
sented by Sir Henry Tate, and the clock tower
erected from the civic subscription to commemorate
the jubilee of 1887 (opened 1892) ; magnificent
laboratories of physiology and pathology, given by
Rev. S. A. Thompson Yates (opened 1895) ; and a
handsome botanical laboratory given by Mr. W. P.
Hartley (1902). During the same period eight
additional chairs were endowed, and many lecture-
ships and scholarships were founded. Throughout
the early history of the college it had rested mainly
on the support of a comparatively small group of
friends ; among those whose munificence rendered
possible the rapid development of the college, special
mention should be made, in addition to those already
named, of the fifteenth and sixteenth Earls of Derby,
successive presidents of the college, both of whom
founded chairs ; of Mr. George Holt, most princely
of the early benefactors ; of Sir John Brunner, Mr.
Holbrook Gaskell, and Mr. Thomas Harrison, all of
whom founded chairs ; and of Mr. E. K. Muspratt,
Mr. John Rankin, Mr. J. W. Alsop, Mr. A. F. Warr,
Mr. C. W. Jones, Sir Edward Lawrence, and others.
But the chief feature of the later part of this period
was the gradual acquisition of the confidence and
respect of the city at large. This came slowly ; but
it was due especially to the demonstration of the
utility of the institution which was afforded by the
creation of a remarkable series of special schools, due
in large measure to the vigour and inventiveness of the
teaching body, among whom may be especially named
Professor (now Sir Rubert) Boyce and Professor J. M.
Mackay. A training college for teachers, a school of
architecture and the applied arts, the first of its kind
in England, a school of commerce, a school of law,
a school of public health, and, most remarkable of all,
the now world-famous school of tropical medicine,
were successively organized. These organizations
brought the college into intimate contact with the
most important intellectual professions of the city,
demonstrated to the community the direct value of
higher studies, and earned the growing support both
of the public and of the city council, which co-
operated in the organization of most of them. They
also gave to the college a distinctive character of its
own, and rendered its continued association with
other colleges, developing along different lines, more
and more inappropriate.
The establishment of an independent university in
9U Life of W. Roscoc , ii, 151 ff.; Rep. of 91 ?J. Campbell Brown, First Chap, in
the R.I. ' the Hist, of Univ. Coll. ; R. Caton, article
916 Rep. of the Liverpool Institute and on The Making of the Univ. (1907); Univ.
of Queen's College.
53
Coll. and the Univ. of Liv. : a Retrospect
(1907).
18 E. Rathbone, Life of ir. Rathbone.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
Birmingham sharpened this feeling, and in 1901 a
movement began for the securing of a separate univer-
sity charter. This demand, which involved the dis-
solution of the Victoria University, met with keen
opposition. But it also aroused a quite remarkable
and unexpected popular interest in the city. An
endowment fund of 180,000 was raised in a few
months ; the city council unanimously supported the
application, and later voted an annual grant of
10,000 ; and in 1903, after a searching inquiry by
the Privy Council, a royal charter was granted
establishing the University of Liverpool. It began its
career distinguished among British universities by
the intimate relations in which it stands to the city
which is its seat, an intimacy which time increasingly
accentuates.
Since the grant of the charter, the growth of the
university has been remarkable ; despite the large
subscription of 1903, each year since that date has
brought gifts of the average value of 30,000. A
series of new buildings, including the George Holt
Physical Laboratory, the William Johnston Laboratory
of Medical Research, a new medical school building,
laboratories of zoology and electrical engineering, and
the first British laboratory of physical chemistry, built
by Mr. E. K. Muspratt, have been erected. Thir-
teen new chairs have been endowed, besides numerous
lectureships, fellowships, and scholarships. The num-
ber of students has grown rapidly, from 581 in 1 90 1
to 1,007 m I 97 t But perhaps the most striking
feature of these years has been that while the more
utilitarian studies, to which some hostile critics ex-
pected the whole strength of the new university to be
devoted, have by no means been starved, the greatest
developments have been in the field of advanced
research in pure arts and science. Several chairs
exist exclusively for the encouragement of research.
Perhaps the most astonishing result of the establish-
ment of the university has been the institution, in a
trading town, of the most powerfully-organized school
of archaeology in Britain, a school which possesses
three endowed chairs, has got together admirable
teaching collections, and has organized expeditions for
the excavation of sites in Egypt, Central America,
and Asia Minor.
The university is governed by the king as visitor, by
a chancellor, two pro-chancellors, a vice-chancellor and
a treasurer, by a court of over 300 members represent-
ing donors and public bodies, a council of 32 members,
a senate of 42 members, a convocation of graduates,
and five faculties. Its capital amounted in 1907 to
7 3 5, oop, 919 entirely provided by private gifts, and its
annual income to 6 1 ,000, derived in part from inter-
est in endowments (17,000), in part from government
grants (over 12,000), in part from municipal grants
(over 14,000, of which the largest item is 11,750
per annum from the Corporation of Liverpool), and in
part from students' fees (15,000). The university
is divided into five Faculties Arts, Science, Medicine,
Law, and Engineering. Of these the Faculty of Arts
is the largest, both in the number of students and in
the number of its endowed chairs ; the University of
Liverpool having been from its initiation distinguished
among modern English universities by the prominence
which it has given to arts studies. All the principal
hospitals of the city are connected for clinical pur-
poses with the Faculty of Medicine, while St. Aidan's
College, Birkenhead, Edge Hill Training College, and
the Liverpool Training College are affiliated to it.
Elementary education began in Liver-
SCHOOLS pool with the provision of a number of
Sunday-schools for the poor, founded as
the result of a town's meeting in 1784.** These
were rapidly followed by the institution of day-
schools, provided either by various denominations or
by endowment. The earliest of these schools were
the Old Church School in Moorfields (1789), the
Unitarian Schools in Mount Pleasant (1790) and
Manesty Lane (1792), and the Wesleyan Brunswick
School (1790). In 1823 there were thirty-two day-
schools ' for the education of the poor )9X1 educating
7,441 children, of which 14 were Church Schools with
2,914 pupils, 2 Roman Catholic with 440 pupils, and
1 8 Nonconformist with 4,087 pupils. The number
of schools largely increased between 1823 and 1870,
so that there was no very serious deficiency of
school places when, in 1 870, education became univer-
sal and compulsory. When the school board began
its work in Liverpool in 1871 there were already
two public elementary schools, founded by the cor-
poration in 1826, and transferred to the administra-
tion of the board ; and the provision of school places
in voluntary schools was above the average for England;
but many new places had to be gradually provided by
the erection of board schools. The following table
shows the state of elementary education in 1871, and
the progress made up to 1902 : 9S '
ELBMENTARY SCHOOLS
I
5 7 i
i
9O2
Type of School
No. of
Schools
School
Places
No. of
Schools
School
Places
Church of England . .
Roman Catholic ....
Undenominational and Wes-
47
16
16
25,773
12,145
8,084
66
37
10
43,180
32,614
6. cio
4Q
4.0*76?
Total ....
79
46,002
162
132,078
No detailed account can be given of the work of the
board during the thirty years of its work, but two or
three features deserve note. In a city which beyond
most others is torn asunder by religious strife, the intru-
sion of this strife was throughout avoided, owing to the
wise policy initiated in the early years, largely by Mr.
S. G. Rathbone and Mr. Christopher Bushell. The
school board was distinguished almost from the be-
ginning by the attention which it gave to the training
of teachers. As early as 1 875 a Pupil Teachers' College
was established in two houses in Shaw Street, the rent
of which was provided by Mr. S. G. Rathbone. In
1898 the college entered upon its handsome premises
in Clarence Street, and in 1906 it became the Oulton
Secondary School. It was largely also through the
zeal of members of the school board that the Edge
Hill Training College for women teachers was founded
in 1884. A further striking feature of the work of
the board was its intimate association with the Liver-
pool Council of Education, founded in 1873, which
in the days before any public authority was empowered
to undertake such work provided a scholarship ladder
19 R. Muir, Ttt Univ. of Liv. . it* pre-
tent state, 1 907.
920 Picton's Li-v. Munic. Rec. ii, 284.
921 Smithers, Liverpool, 264.
54
922 Information supplied by the Educa-
tion Office.
LIVERPOOL : THE OLD BLUECOAT SCHOOL
(From an old Print)
LIVERPOOL : GOREE BUILDINGS, 1828
(From an Engraving)
WEST DERBY HUNDRED
LIVERPOOL
V
from the elementary schools to the secondary schools
of the city, by which many poor boys have climbed
to the universities and thence to important positions
in the world. The Council of Education still exists.
It administers a scholarship trust fund of over 20,000,
as well as the Waterworth Scholarship fund, the in-
come of which is over 300 per annum. Its scholar-
ships are now merged in the scholarship system
instituted by the City Education Committee.
The elementary schools now controlled by the City
Education Committee are as follows ; m
Teachers
B
sg
00
J2
i) "S
&.""
u
O
p
Si
bo o
u
a
rt _C
Q
a
H
EH
gwi
3 rt
X
<
fc
^
H
Council
5
134
162
1,361
35
57,011
f,i4o
37i
Schools
Church of
64
155
154
899
IOI
3 7,63
588
36
England
Roman Catho-
36
IO2
tea
689
193
32,466
902
41
lic
Wesleyan
7
17
16
1 06
7
4,040
577
33
Undenomina-
4
8
7
48
4
i,543
386
28
tional
Totals .
161
416
441
3 10 3
620
132,691
824
373
There are also five day industrial schools, to which
children from drunken homes are committed on a
magistrate's order, and receive food as well as instruc-
tion ; ten ordinary certified industrial schools, a
reformatory ship, the Akbar, five schools for physically
and mentally defective children, and one truants'
industrial school. The total cost of the elementary
tystem in 19067 was 625,623.
During the last few years the Education Committee
has been engaged in providing facilities for higher
education, in which, thanks to the failure to develop
the ancient grammar school, 914 Liverpool was behind
most other English cities. Of the older secondary
schools some account has been already given. 914 Of
these schools three the Liverpool Institute, Black-
burne House, and the Liverpool Collegiate School
(formerly Liverpool College Middle and Commercial
Schools) have passed under the direct control of the
Education Committee. The Pupil Teachers' College
in Clarence Street has been turned into the Oulton
Secondary School, with 873 pupils ; one of the most
highly developed of the elementary schools has been
turned into a secondary school (Holt Secondary
School), and a large secondary school for girls has
been built. Eight city scholarships, tenable at the
University of Liverpool, are thrown open to the
competition of pupils of these and other secondary
schools in the city. Outside of the system controlled
by the Education Committee, there are, in addition to
the schools enumerated in V.C.H. Lanes, ii, 595, four
denominational pupil teacher centres, two of which,
St. Edmund's College (Church of England) and the
Catholic Institute, have been transformed into se-
condary schools. Note should also be made of the
school-ship Contcay, moored in the Mersey, which
trains boys to be officers in the mercantile marine, and
for Dartmouth.
The Technical Instruction Committee conducts
classes in the Central Technical School, Byrom Street ;
it has three branch schools in other parts of the city,
and conducts regular evening classes also in ten other
institutions. There are also a nautical college, a
school for cookery, and a school of domestic economy.
The City School of Art is largely attended, and has
now incorporated the School of Applied Arts, formerly
associated with the University School of Architecture.
The city also contains two training colleges for
teachers, the Liverpool Training College, Mount
Pleasant, founded in 1856, and conducted by the
sisters of the Notre Dame, and the Edge Hill Train-
ing College (undenominational) founded in 1884.
Both are for women, and both are affiliated to the
university. For the training of Roman Catholic
priests there is St. Edward's College, in Everton.
The earliest Liverpool charities,
CHARITIES apart from the grammar school, 926 were
the almshouses. 917 In 1684 twelve
almshouses were built by David Poole near the bottom
of Dale Street; in 1692 Dr. Silvester Richmond
founded a small group of almshouses for sailors'
widows in Shaw's Brow ; in 1706 Richard Warbrick
established another small group, also for sailors'
widows, in Hanover Street. Successive small gifts
during the 1 8th century, amounting in all to over
2,500, increased the endowment. In 1786 the
almshouses were consolidated and removed to their
present site in Arrad Street (Hope Street). They are
administered in part by the corporation, in part by
the rector, in part by trustees.
In i 708 the Bluecoat Hospital was founded by the
Rev. R. Styth, one of the rectors, and by Bryan
Blundell, master mariner, as a day school for fifty
poor boys, on a site granted by the corporation in
School Lane. 91 * Blundell, by liberal gifts and assidu-
ous collection, raised sufficient funds for the erection
of a permanent building where they could be housed.
The graceful and dignified building, still standing,
was begun in 1714 and completed in 1718. The
number of inmates has been successively increased ;
there are now 250 boys and 100 girls. In 1905
the school was removed to a spacious and handsome
new building on open ground in Wavertree. The
Bluecoat Hospital ranks as the premier charity of the
city, and has always received the warm support of
Liverpool merchants.
One hundred and twenty-eight distinct charitable
institutions now in existence are enumerated by the
Charity Organization Society. 929 They cannot all be
enumerated, and it will be convenient to group them.
i. Medical Charities. The Royal Infirmary, which
is the second oldest medical charity in the north of
England, was instituted in 1745. Its first building
* M Rep. for 1907.
2: Omitting Pupil Teachers.
2 < y.C.H. Lanes, ii, 593.
* Ibid. 595.
926 For the grammar school, see
Lanes, ii, 593.
927 See Digest of Lnncs. Charities (House
of Commons Papers, 1869). The annual
income at that date was 2,037. This
was mainly derived from the interest on
the Molyneux foundation, which was
wisely invested in lands in the township
of Liverpool (the Rector's Fields, formerly
55
part of the Moss Lake). When leases fall
in the charity will be very rich.
988 Trans. Hist. Soc., papers in vols.
xi, xiii, xvi, xxxi.
929 On charities, Li-u. Charities (an-
nual) ; Burdett, Hosp. and Charities ; re-
ports of the individual charities.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
was on the site of St. George's Hall, and was opened
in 1749. In 1824 it was removed to Pembroke
Place, and it was again rebuilt in 1890. From 1792
to 1879 a lunatic asylum was connected with it ; it
also maintained a lock hospital ; and in 1860 it insti-
tuted, under the guidance of William Rathbone, 930 a
nurses' home which formed the basis of the first
English experiment in district nursing. In 1834 a
medical school was established at the infirmary ; it
has since developed into the medical faculty of the
university. The ether general hospitals are the
Northern, instituted in 1834, rebuilt by aid of a grant
from the David Lewis fund in 1896-7, whence it is
now known as the David Lewis Northern Hospital ;
the Royal Southern Hospital, instituted in 1814 and
rebuilt in 1872, which provides clinical teaching for
the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine ; and the
Stanley Hospital, established in 1 867. These three
hospitals, together with some of the special hospitals,
unite to form the United Hospitals Clinical School
in connexion with the medical faculty of the uni-
versity. There is also a homeopathic hospital,
opened in 1887. In 1778 a dispensary was opened
in John Street, 931 eight years after the opening of the
first English dispensary in London. There are now
three dispensaries, for the north, south, and east of
the city. The special hospitals, in the order of their
foundation, are : the Ladies' Charity (founded in
1796; Lying-in Hospital opened 1841); the Eye
and Ear Infirmary 931 (Eye 1820, Ear 1839); the
St. George's Skin Hospital (1842); the Children's
Infirmary (instituted in 1 85 I, rebuilt in 19057);
the Dental Hospital (1860) ; the Cancer Hospital
(1862) ; the Consumption Hospital (1863, rebuilt
1904), to which is attached a fine sanatorium in
Delamere Forest, founded in 1901 ; the Liverpool
Convalescent Institution at Wool ton (1873) ; the
Hospital for Women (1883) ; the Hospital for
Diseases of the Throat, Nose, and Ear (1884) ; the
Home for Epileptics (1887) ; the County Hospital
for Children ; the Home for Female Incurables ; and
the Vergmont Institution for Female Inebriates. To
the same group belongs the District Nursing Associa-
tion, in Prince's Road, founded by Mr. William
Rathbone in 1862, the first of its kind in England.
The income of these charities from endowments and
subscriptions amounted in 1906 to more than
80,000. But in addition to these voluntary hos-
pitals the corporation maintains six hospitals for
infectious diseases, with 88 1 beds; and the select
vestry not only maintains a workhouse infirmary, but
also, in conjunction with the Toxteth and West
Derby Guardians, a consumption hospital at Heswall
on the Dee. The total number of beds available in
all the Liverpool hospitals is over 4,000.
For the blind, deaf, and dumb, there are : The
School for the Indigent Blind (founded 1791), the
oldest institution of its kind, with 210 inmates , the
School for the Deaf and Dumb (1825) with no
pupils ; the Catholic Blind Asylum (1841) with 199
inmates ; the Workshops and Home Teaching Society
for the Outdoor Blind (1859) ; the Adult Deaf and
Dumb Benevolent Society (1864) ; and the Home
for Blind Children (1874).
ii. Homes, Orphanages, \3c.,for Children. In addi-
tion to the Bluccoat Hospital, already described, the
following institutions exist for the rescue of chil-
dren : Female Orphan Asylum (1840), Orphan
Asylum for boys (1850), Infant Orphan Asylum
(1858), each accommodating 150 inmates ; the Shel-
tering Homes for Destitute Children (1872) annually
train and send out to Canada 250 children ; the
Seamen's Orphan Institution, which is comparatively
well endowed, maintains 350 children ; the Indefati-
gable training ship (1865), with which is connected a
sailing brigantine, prepares about 250 boys for the
mercantile marine ; the Lancashire Navy League Sea-
training Home does similar work ; the Children's
Friend Society (1866) maintains a Boys' Home ; the
Newsboys' Home takes in sixty-five street boys ; and
there is a group of homes for training poor girls,
chiefly for domestic service, including the Magdalen
Institution (1855) for fifty girls; the Mission to
Friendless Girls (1862); the Preventive Homes
(1865) for forty-four girls ; the Training Home for
Girls (1894) for thirty-two girls; and the Bencke
Home ; while the Ladies' Association for the Care
and Training of Girls maintains four distinct homes.
There also exist a Children's Aid Society for clothing
poor children attending elementary schools, and a
Police-aided Clothing Association, which provides
clothes for children engaged in street-trading (who
are in Liverpool required to be registered) and with
the aid of the police prevents parents from selling the
clothes. The Liverpool Society for the Prevention
of Cruelty to Children has been at work for a longer
time than the National Society.
iii. Penitentiary Charities. The Lancashire Female
Refuge (1823) maintains a home for women coming
out of prison, and is the oldest charity of its kind.
The Discharged Prisoners' Aid Society does the same
work on a more general plan. For fallen women
there are the Female Penitentiary (1811), the Bene-
volent Institution and Rescue Home (1839), *ke
Home of the Midnight Mission (1875), and the
Home of the Liverpool Rescue Society (1890).
iv. Homes for the Aged. These include the Widows'
Home (1871) ; the Homes for Aged Mariners (1882),
including a large central building founded by Mr.
William Cliff, and seventeen detached cottages in the
grounds in which married couples may live ; and the
Andrew Gibson Home for the widows of seamen
(1905).
v. Pension Charities. These are numerous. The
Aged Merchant Seamen and Widows' Fund (1870)
gave 1 66 small pensions in 1906 ; the Governesses
Benevolent Institution (1849) distributes 900 per
annum in pensions ; the Seamen's Pension Fund was
founded by Mr. T. H. Ismay in 1887 with a capital
of 20,000, to which Mrs. Ismay later added 10,000
for seamen's widows ; the Shipbrokers' Benevolent
Society (1894) distributes annuities of not more than
30 to old employees ; and the Merchant Guild
administers ten distinct pension funds, chiefly for the
relief of distressed persons of the middle and upper
classes ; it awarded 1 79 pensions in 1 906, the largest
being of 42.
vi. Of Miscellaneous Charities there are too many to
Liftoff^. Rathbont.
931 Now North John Street. It was in
1781 removed to Church Street.
983 Originally Ophthalmic Infirmary.
In 1820 was also founded the Liverpool
56
Institute for Curing Diseases of the Eye,
now defunct.
WEST DERBY HUNDRED
WIGAN
be enumerated, but mention should be made of the
Sailors' Home, founded in 1852, which provides
cheap lodging and help for sailors when they are paid
off. And it should be noted that its continuous
existence, since in 1 809 it was founded as the Society
for Preventing Wanton Cruelty to Brute Animals,
makes the local branch of the R.S.P.C.A. an older
body than the national institution. The David
Lewis Club and Hostel is an immense Rowton House
with a very handsome club in relation with it.
WIGAN
WIGAN
PEMBERTON
BILLINGE CHAPEL
END
BILLINGE HIGHER
END
WINSTANLEY
ORRELL
UPHOLLAND
DALTON
INCE
HINDLEY
ABRAM
HAIGH
ASPULL
This large parish was at the time of the Conquest
included within the hundred of Newton, with the
exception of its western townships, Upholland and
Dalton, which were within West Derby, and perhaps
also of Haigh and Aspull in the north-east. The
parish with the same exceptions became part of the
fee or barony of Makerfield. Aspull was either then
or later placed in the hundred of Salford, in which it
has remained till the present. Except in the town-
ship of Abram the geological formation consists entirely
of the Coal Measures. Coal was discovered and used
in the I5th century, or earlier ; the mines were ex-
tended, and during the last century became the pre-
dominant feature of the district. Other industries
have also grown up.
Though Wigan was the meeting place of Roman
roads which traversed the parish, but few remains of
the Roman period have been discovered, and these
chiefly at Wigan itself. From that time practically
nothing is known of the history of the district until
after the Norman Conquest.
A town with busy traders grew up around the
church, and became a centre for the business of a
large part of the hundred, political and mercantile.
The rebellion of Thomas, Earl of Lancaster, in
13212, affected it through its rector and also
through the Holands, one of the chief local
families, who adhered to his cause. The only
monastery in the parish, Upholland Priory, was
founded in 1317, and Edward II stayed there a fort-
night when he passed through the district on his way
to Liverpool in 1323.
The landowners were hostile to the Reformation,
and in 1630-3 the following compounded for the
sequestration of two-thirds of their estates for re-
cusancy by annual fines : Abram, Henry Lance,
57
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
10 ; Richard Ashton, 15 ; Aspull, Ralph Haugh-
ton, 6 1 3/. \<t. ; Billinge, Edmund Bispham, 3 ;
Birchley, Roger Anderton, 21 12s. \d. ; Dalton,
Thomas Bank, 2 ; John Reskow, 2 ; Haigh,
William Bradshaw, 3 6s. %d. ; Hindley, Abraham
Langton of Lowe, 10 ; Ince, Thomas Gerard, 40 ;
Thomas Ince, 8 ; Pemberton, Edmund Winstanley,
2 i os. 1
The Civil War found the district as a whole loyal
to the king ; but the Ashhursts and some other
families were Parliamentarians. There was fighting
at Wigan in 1644 and 1651, and much confiscation
by the Commonwealth authorities. The Restoration
appears to have been generally welcomed. At the
Revolution there was much more division, but no
open opposition was made, and the Jacobite rising of
1715 does not seem to have had any adherents in the
parish. The march of the Young Pretender through
Wigan, Ince, and Hindley in 1745 brought in no
recruits. The more recent history has, as in the north
of England generally, been that of the growth of
manufactures and commerce.
The total area of the parish is 29,033^ acres. Of
this at present 12,938 acres are arable, 7,179 per-
manent grass, and 854 woods and plantations. The
population in 1901 numbered 157,915. The county
lay of 1624 was arranged so that the parish counted
as six townships and a half, Wigan itself answering for
two. The other groups were Pemberton and Ince,
Hindley and Abram, Holland and Dalton, Orrell,
Billinge and Winstanley ; Haigh was the half town-
ship. Aspull, being in Salford Hundred, was grouped
with Blackrod. When the hundred paid 100
Wigan parish, excluding Aspull, paid 12 los. The
ancient fifteenth was more irregularly levied thus :
Wigan 3, Haigh js., Hindley i6s. 8</., Ince <)s.,
Dalton I9/., Abram I is. 8</., Upholland i js. 8</.,
Billinge cum Winstanley l"js., Orrell 6s., Pemberton
1 8/. 4^., or 9 1 2s. ifd. when the hundred paid
106 9/. 6d. Aspull paid js. 8</. in Salford.
The church of ALL SAINTS ' has a
CHURCH chancel of two bays with north and south
chapels, the Legh chapel on the north
and the Bradshagh or Bradshaw chapel on the
south, a nave of six bays with aisles, and a tower at
the north-east angle of the north aisle of the nave,
with the Gerard (now Walmesley) chapel adjoining
it on the west. East of the tower is a modern
vestry.
Though the plan of the church is ancient, the
building has undergone even more than the general
amount of renewal which has been the lot of so many
of the neighbouring churches. The chancel is re-
corded to have been rebuilt in 1620 by Bishop
Bridgeman, and was again rebuilt in 1845. The
Bradshagh and Legh chapels, which had been re-
paired if not rebuilt in 1620, were also rebuilt in
1845, and the nave taken down and rebuilt from the
foundations in 1850, much of the old material being
however used. The Gerard chapel, rebuilt about
1620, escaped the general fate. The tower and the
lowest parts of the stair turrets at the west end of the
chancel were not rebuilt, and contain the oldest work
now existing. With such a history, any definite idea
of the development of the plan is out of the question.
The tower is at least as old as the I3th century, and
in the course of rebuilding some 1 2th-century stones
are said to have been found.
The nave arcades, as noted by Sir Stephen Glynne,*
have somewhat the appearance of 14th-century work,
with moulded arches and piers of four engaged shafts
of good proportion. All the old stone has been re-
tooled at the rebuilding of 1850, and the capitals are
entirely of that date, so that it is impossible to deduce
the former details of the work. A clearstory runs for
the whole length of the nave and chancel, and the
nave roof retains a good deal of old work, being
divided into panels by moulded beams. The figures
of angels on the roof corbels are terra-cotta substitutes
for old oak figures. All the windows of the church
before 1850, except the east and west windows, were
like those still remaining in the Gerard chapel, with
uncusped tracery and four-centred heads. The tower
opens to the north aisle by a pointed arch, with half-
octagon responds, and its ground story is lighted by
a two-light window on the north, and a three-light
window on the west. The latter was built up, per-
haps when the Gerard chapel was added, and was
opened out again in 1850; it is of three lights,
apparently of the second half of the 1 3th century,
though much repaired. In the sill of the north
window is set an effigy of which only the face can be
seen, the rest being entirely plastered over. It is
said to be that of an ecclesiastic, wearing a mitre, and
was found under the tower. In the east jamb of the
same window is set a panelled stone with two scrolls
on the top, locally believed to be part of a Roman
altar. It is impossible to examine it satisfactorily in
its present condition. The tower has been heightened
to make room for a clock, and has pairs of windows on
each face of the belfry stage, and an embattled parapet
with angle pinnacles. In its upper stages no ancient
detail remains, but it seems probable that all above
the first stage was rebuilt in the 151)1 century. Of
the ancient fittings of the church nothing remains.
The turret stairs at the west end of the chancel
doubtless led to the rood-loft, and before 1850 a
gallery spanned the entrance to the chancel, carrying
an organ given to the church in 1708, and afterwards
moved into the Legh chapel. At the west end of
the nave was a gallery with seats for the mayor and
corporation, and a ' three-decker ' pulpit and desk
stood against the fourth pillar of the nave arcade.
The altar-table is of the 171)1 century, of oak with a
black marble slab. A piece of tapestry with the story
of Ananias and Sapphira, formerly hung as a reredos
to the altar, is now above the south doorway of the
nave. A font dating from c. 1710, removed from the
church in 1850, is now in St. George's church, and
the present font is modern. 4 Two 14th-century
gravestones with floriated crosses are built into the
walls of the tower, and near them lies a slab with a
plain cross and the inscription, 'OL 1585.' In the
Bradshagh chapel is an altar-tomb with two effigies,
1 From the list in Lucas's Warton'
(MS).
' By an inquisition in 1370 it was
found that Roger Hancockson of Hindley
had, without the king's licence, bequeathed
a rent of od. to the church of Blessed
Mary of Wigan. Possibly the gift was
to the Bradshagh chantry, which had this
dedication. See Q. R. Mem. R. 160 of
Mich. 6 Ric. II. The All Saints' fair
dates from 1258. For burial places in
8 Cbs. of Lanes. (Chet. Soc. xxvii), 58.
4 The octagonal bowl of a 14th-century
font, used successively as a water trough
and flower pot, lies in the garden of
the church in 1691, see Genealogist (new Wigan Hall; Trans. Hist. Soc. (new ser.),
er.), i, 282. Arms in the church ; xvii, 68.
Trant. Hist. Soc. xxxiii, 248.
58
WIGAN CHURCH, FROM THE NORTH-WEST, SHOWING TOWER
UPHOLLAND PRIORY CHURCH : INTERIOR, LOOKING EAST
WEST DERBY HUNDRED
said to be those of Sir William de Bradshagh and his
wife Mabel, the effigy of the lady alone being old.
Sir William's effigy was much damaged, and a new
figure has taken its place, the remains of the old effigy
being put inside the altar-tomb. Against the south
wall of the chapel is the monument of Sir Roger
Bradshagh, 1684, and there are several igth-century
Balcarres monuments. 5
There are eight bells ; the first seven of 1732, by
Abraham Rudhall of Gloucester, and the tenor of
1876, by Taylor of Loughborough. There is also a
priest's bell of 1732, by Rudhall.
The church plate was for the most part given by
Richard Wells in 1706, but was remade about 1850,
the former inscriptions recording the gift being pre-
served. One large paten is, however, old, having an
embossed centre with the Adoration of the Magi.
There are three sets of large silver-gilt communion
plate, and a smaller set, also silver-gilt. Of plain
silver are three flagons and three cruets, and two alms-
dishes, the last dating from 1724. There are also
seven brass almsdishes of various dates, two pewter
dishes of 1825, and twelve of 1840.
The registers begin in 1580, and are contained
in over seventy volumes, 6 and the churchwardens'
account books are complete from 1651. The sex-
ton's day book has much detailed information about
the burials in the church.
In 1066 'the church of the
ADVOfPSON manor ' of Newton had one plough-
land exempt from all dues. 7 It may
be assumed that the lord of Newton, who at that
time was the King, was patron. When the Makerfield
barony was formed the patronage of this church
WIGAN
naturally went with it, although owing to frequent
minorities the kings very often presented. 8 This led
to disputes. On a vacancy in 1281 the patronage
was claimed by Edward I, but judgement was recorded
for Robert Banastre. 9 At the following vacancy,
1303, William son of Jordan de Standish claimed the
right to present, but failed to justify it. 10 The value
of the benefice in 1291 had been estimated at 50
marks a year. 11 The value of the ninth of sheaves,
wool, &c., was only 24 z/. in 1341, but Wigan
borough was not included. 11
In 1349 tne crown revived its claim to the
patronage and this time obtained a verdict. 13 It was
certainly an erroneous decision, and the Bishop of
Lichfield seems to have been unwilling to accept th*e
royal nominee, 14 John de Winwick. It is to the
credit of this rector that some time before resigning in
1359 he persuaded the king to restore the advowson
to the Langtons. 15 The Standish family afterwards
revived their claim to the patronage, and the matter
appears to have been closed only in 1 446 by a verdict
for James de Langton, then rector. 16
In the 1 6th century the Langtons began to sell the
next presentations, 17 and in 1598 Sir Thomas Langton
appears to have mortgaged or sold ' the parsonage of
Wigan' to the trustees of John Lacy, citizen of
London ; the latter in 1605 sold it to a Mr. Pears-
hall, probably a trustee for Richard Fleetwood, of
Calwich, the heir of the Langtons. 18 Bishop Bridge-
man, then rector, agreed about 1638 to purchase the
advowson for 1,000 from Sir Richard Fleetwood,
but Sir Richard Murray, D.D., warden of Manchester,
offering 10 more, secured it, and then tried to sell
it to the crown for 4,000. Charles I not being
5 The monuments are fully described
in Canon Bridgeman's Wigan Ch. (Chet.
Soc.), 689-715.
6 The first volume, 1580-1625, has
been printed by the Lancashire Parish
Register Society. The volume for 1676-83
is among Lord Kenyon's family deeds ;
Hht. MSS. Com. Rep. xiv, App. iv, 102.
7 See V.C.H. Lanes, i, 2860.
8 This, it will be found, was the case in
the earliest recorded presentation, 1205.
About ten years later Thurstan Banastre
granted the patronage to the canons of
Cockersand, but this gift does not appear
to have had effect ; Cockersand Chart.
(Chet. Soc.), ii, 676. The Wigan charter
of 1246 was witnessed by Robert Banas-
tre, lord of Makerfield, as ' true patron '
of the church.
9 Abbre-v. Pldc. (Rec. Com.). 201 ;
Dtp. Keeper's Rep. \, App. 262. A few
years earlier there had been a dispute as
to the patronage, but the particulars are
not recorded ; De Banco R. 7, m. 39.
10 William de Standish alleged that his
ancestor Ralph, living in the time of
King Richard, had presented his own
clerk, Ulf by name, to the chapel of
Wigan ; and that Ulf was instituted and
received the tithes, oblations, and dues,
' amounting to half a mark and more.'
Nothing otherwise is known of this Ulf.
Although it is unlikely that such a claim
would have been put forward by the
Standishes against great personages like
the lords of Makerfield unless there was
justification for it, the description as a
' chapel ' and the very small amount of
dues received raises a doubt. The dis-
tinction of ' church ' and ' chapel ' was at
once seized upon by the defence ; ' We can-
not yield up what plaintiff demands, for
we hold the advowson of a church, and at
present we do not know if he demands
the advowson of a chapel in that church,
as we have seen in other cases, or if he
means to say that there is another chapel.'
See the late Canon Bridgeman's Hist, of
the Ch. of Wigan (Chet. Soc.), quoting
Year Bk. of Ed-w. I (Rolls Ser.), 358. The
information in the present notes is largely
drawn from his work, in which documents
quoted are usually printed in full. Many
of them are from the family records. The
Standish claim was still pending in 1312 ;
Bridgeman, op. cit. 797. The following
references to the suit may be added : De
Banco R. 153, m. 98 d an extent of the
chapel of Wigan; R. 161, m. n the
chapel extended at 9 a year, but the
case adjourned because Robert de Langton
was setting out for Scotland on the king's
service. Thomas de Langtree released
his claim to the advowson of the church
or chapel of Wigan in favour of Standish ;
Coram Reg. R. 297, m. 20.
11 Pope Nick. Tax. (Rec. Com.), 249.
In the claim made by the rector against
John del Crosse in 1329 it was alleged
that the gross value was about 200 a
year.
la /f. Non. (Rec. Com.), 41. The
values were : Haigh 471. 8^.; Aspull
47*. 8^. ; Hindley 64*. 5^. ; Abram
321. 2%J. ; Ince 321. z\d. ; Pemberton
641. &d. ; Billinge 64$. t,\d. ; Orrell
321. 2%d. ; Holland 641. tfad. ; Dalton
32*. z\d. The value of the ninth of the
movable goods of the men living in the
borough of Wigan was 109*. ^d.
18 De Banco R. 358, m. 50. The king
alleged in support of his claim that Ralph
59
de Leicester and John Maunsel had been
presented by Henry III. Sir Robert de
Langton replied that he had himself pre-
sented Master John de Craven, who was
admitted, John de Craven, and Ivo de
Langton ; while his father John had pre-
sented Master Robert de Clitheroe, and
before that Robert Banastre had pre-
sented Master Richard de Marian in the
time of Henry III ; he had thus the
prescription of a century in his favour.
See also Coram Reg. R. 357, m. 21. No
allusion was made to the presentation of
Adam de Walton, which renders it almost
certain that he was the clerk presented in
1281, when the king had before claimed
the patronage.
14 See De Banco R. 361, m. 42 d ; the
king -u. the Bishop of Lichfield, who had
refused to admit John de Winwick to the
vacant rectory. Adam de Hulton was
also nominated ; Cal. Pat. 1 348-50, pp.
473>49 6 5H, 5*4.
18 Dep. Keeper's Rep. xxxii, App. 336.
18 Bridgeman, op. cit. 61-7, quoting
Standish papers in Local Glean. Lanes, and
Chet. ii, 60, 6 1. A fine concerning it,
dated 1432, may be seen in Pal. of Lane.
Feet of F. bdle. 6, no. 59.
J 7 Bridgeman, op. cit. 102, 107, 121,
131.
18 Ibid. 477-80, where abstracts of
fifteen deeds relating to the transfers are
printed.
19 Dr. Bridgeman appears to haye
thought of purchasing the advowson soon
after he became rector; ibid. 197. For
his later attempt to purchase, see
416-18. Laud's letter in reply shows
the demands made by Dean Murray ;
418, 419.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
able to afford this, Sir John Hotham became the pur-
chaser shortly afterwards ; M and his trustees about
1 66 1 sold it to Sir Orlando Bridgeman, 21 son of the
bishop, in whose family it has since descended, the
Earl of Bradford being the patron.
Sir Orlando and his son adopted a 'self-denying
ordinance,' and formed a body of trustees to exercise
the patronage,** and thus it happened that for nearly
half a century the Bishops of Chester were presented
to the rectory."
Meanwhile the value had very greatly increased.
In the 1 6th century, and perhaps earlier, the system
of farming the tithes prevented the rectors receiving
the full revenue," and in 1535 the gross value was
set down as 110 i6s. 8</., from which had to be
deducted a pension of 20, anciently paid to the
cathedral of Lichfield, and other fees and dues, 25 so
that the net value was reported as 80 13^. \d. In
the first half of the next century Bishop Bridgeman
found that the clear yearly value was 570 on an
average. 28 Bishop Gastrell, about 1717, recorded it
to be 'above 300 clear, all curates paid.'" In
1802 the receipts from tithes amounted to
1,306 8/., 28 and afterwards receipts from the coal
mining under the glebe were added. The value is
now estimated at 1,500." The rector of Wigan
pays a considerable sum from his income to the in-
cumbents of various churches built in the parish.
The following is a list of the rectors and lords of the manor of Wigan :
Instituted Name Presented by
oc. 1199 . . Randle*
23 April 1205 . Robert de Durham S1 ....
2 Nov. 1226 . Ralph de Leicester 32 ....
oc. 1 24 1 . . . John Maunsel 83
Cause of Vacancy
The King res. of Randle
20 Bridgeman, op. cit. 483 ; quoting
the Wigan ' Leger,' in which Sir John
Hotham is in 1641 called 'the new
patron.' At Michaelmas 1638 an agree-
ment seems to have been arrived at
between Charles Hotham and others and
the Bishop of London and others as to
the advowson ; Com. Pleas, Recov. R.
Mich. 14 Chas. I, m. 3. In a fine of
Mar. 164.2 relating to the advowson,
John Murray, esq., and Marian his wife
were deforciants ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of
F. bdle. 140, no. 15.
21 Bridgeman, op. cit. 484. In a fine
of 1659 Charles Hotham and Elizabeth
his wife were deforciants ; Pal. of Lane.
Feet of F. bdle. 164, no. 16. See also
Com. Pleas, D. Enr. Mich. 1662, m.
95 d.
22 Bridgeman, op. cit. 484 ; ' bearing in
mind the corrupt practices of former pa-
trons, who had turned the advowson into a
means of private gain,' and wishing to
avoid such abuses, Sir Orlando associated
with himself as trustees the then Arch-
bishop of Canterbury and others.
M Ibid. 60 1. In 1713 the Bishop of
Chester made inquiries as to the condi-
tions of the trust, supposing that some
preference was to be given to the Bishops
of Chester ; ibid. 613.
94 See the Kitchin lease described
under Rector Kighley. Apart from dis-
advantageous leases it was not always
easy to secure the tithe ; see Duchy Plead.
(Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), ii, 1 1 1 ;
and the complaint of Rector Smith in
1553, quoted by Canon Bridgeman, op. cit.
123-7, I 3 > see *' 80 X 58 '59- The
difficulties of the rectors concerning their
tithes were quite independent of those
they had with the corporation of Wigan
as lords of the manor.
Besides disadvantageous leases and open
violence the rectors lost thiough prescrip-
tion, by which a modus or composition in
lieu of tithes was established. Thus the
Earls of Derby had long held the tithes of
the townships of Dalton and Upholland at a
low rent ; and about 1600 William, the
sixth earl, claimed an absolute right to
the tithes, paying only 12 131. 4^. a
year to the rector. Rector Flcetwood
tried to defeat this claim, and Bishop
Bridgeman made a still more vigorous
effort, but in vain ; and the same modus
is still paid by the Earl of Derby's
assigns in lieu of the tithes ; Bridgeman,
op. cit. 161-3, 254-9, 647-50. Pre-
scription was likewise established in the
case of Ince, 4 being paid by the
Gerards and their successors ; ibid. 190,
655.
25 Valor Eccl. (Rec. Com.), v, 220.
The gross value was made up of the rents
of tenants, free and at will, 25 ; rent of
two water-mills 66j. 8</.; tithes of corn,
hay, wool, &c., 61 31.4^.5 oblations,
small tithes, and roll, ,18 ; perquisites
and profits of the markets, 66s. 8</.
Robert Langton as chief steward had a
fee of 4.
26 Bridgeman, op. cit. 417. A state-
ment of his receipts and payments for his
first year of occupation ending at Christ-
mas 1616 is printed 188-203 > m n y
curious details are given. A later account
of the profits of the rectory will be found
on pp. 307-19. Bishop Bridgeman com-
piled his ' Leger,' extant in a copy made
by Rector Finch in 1708, recording all
the lands and rights belonging to the
rector and the endeavours he had made
to recover and preserve them. In 1619
he compiled a terrier of the demesne
lands of the rectory ; op. cit. 244-6. The
names of the fields include Parson's
Meadow, Diglache or Diglake, the
Mesnes, Conygrew, Rycroft, Carreslache,
Parsnip Yard, and Cuckstool Croft.
Potters used to come for clay to the par-
son's wastes, undertaking to make the
land level again ; 268. Another terrier
was compiled in 1814, and is printed ibid.
651-8.
*7 Notitia Cestr. (Chet. Soc.). ii, 242.
The rector was instituted to ' Wigan with
the chapel of Holland.' There were two
wardens and eighteen assistants, serving
jointly for the whole parish ; seven of
the assistants were for the town.
28 Bridgeman, op. cit. 642. ' The tithes
were valued by two competent persons and
offered to the farmers at their separate
valuations, which they all accepted, and
paid their respective shares on the first
Monday after Christmas, which is the day
usually appointed for payment.' The
tithes of Wigan itself were gathered in
kind. The mode of tithing is thus
described : 'The corn in this parish is
bound up in sheaves. Eight sheaves set
up together make one shock, and every
tenth shock is the rector's property, and
60
if under the number of ten the rector had
none. The practice was so common on
small farms to have eight or nine shocks
in each field bound up in large sheaves
the farmers called it " binding the tithe-
man out " to put a stop to this I (Rector
G. Bridgeman) now take every tenth
sheaf when small quantities of corn are
grown. Beans and peas which were hoed
in rows or drills were not tithed. . . .
The practice in this parish was so com-
mon for corn growers to claim waste land
corn exempt from tithe that in the year
1809 I was advised to make them pay an
acknowledgement or to take it in kind ' ;
ibid. 645, 646.
29 Liverpool Diocesan Cal.
80 Farrer, Lanes. Fife R. 436 ; Dtp.
Keeper's Rep. xxi, App. 5 ; a charter by
which the king appointed Adam de Freck-
leton perpetual vicar of the church of
Wigan, ' which is of our donation,' at the
request of Randle treasurer of Salisbury
and rector of Wigan ; the latter was to
receive a pension of a mark.
81 Rot. Chart. (Rec. Com.), 147. A
few years later the church of Wistow
was given to the same Robert ; ibid. 177.
The patronage at this time was in the
king's hands through the minority of the
heir of Warine Banastre. The new rector
was one of the king's clerks, and probably
never visited Wigan ; the ' vicarage ' of
Adam was expressly reserved in the pre-
sentation.
82 Cal. Pat. 1225-32, p. 88. The
cause of vacancy is not stated, but Robert
de Durham was living in 1222 ; see Cal.
Pat. 1216-25, p. 332. In 1228 Ralph de
Leicester was presented to the chapel of
Cowesby ; ibid. 195. See also De Banco
R. 358, m. 50, where it is stated that he
and John Maunsel were nominated by
Henry III. A Ralph de Leicester was
Treasurer of Lincoln Cathedral in 1248 ;
he died in 1253 ; Le Neve, Fast, ii, 88.
88 John Maunsel was one of the most
important of the royal officials ; for a
sketch of his career see Bridgeman op. cit.
4-30, and Diet. Nat. Biog. He was a
great pluralist, adding Wigan to his other
benefices before 1241, when he charged
Thurstan de Holand with setting fire to
a house in Wigan ; Cur. Reg. R. 121, m.
26 d. As Robert Banastre is supposed to
have come of age about 1239, the presen-
tation must have been earlier than this ;
WEST DERBY HUNDRED
WIGAN
Instituted
1265 . . .
? I28l . . .
22 Sept. I 303 .
15 June 1334 .
1 3 Nov. 1 344
26 Dec. 1344
oc. 1347 . . .
12 Mar. 134950
3 May 1350 .
10 July i 359 .
4 Sept. 1359
2 Jan. I 361-2 .
Presented by
Robert Banastre
Jo! n de Langton .
Sir Robert de Langton
Name
Mr. Richard de Marklan 34 . .
Mr. Adam de Walton 3i . . .
Mr. Robert de Clitheroe " . .
Ivo (John) de Langton 3 ' . . .
John de Craven 38 ,,
Mr. John de Craven S9 . . . .
Henry de Dale, M.A. 40 ....
John de Winwick 4I The King ....
Richard de Langton " Sir Rob. de Langton .
Robert de Lostock 43
Walter de Campden " John Earl of Lancaster
Cause of Vacancy
d. of J. Maunsel
d. of Rob.de Clitheroe
res. R. de Langton
res. R. de Lostock
Lanes. Inq. and Extents, i, 147. In local
history he is notable as procuring the first
borough charter. He died abroad in
great poverty at the end of 1264 or be-
ginning of 1265.
There are numerous references to him
in Cal. of Papal Letters. Alexander IV, in
1259, approved the dispensation granted,
at the king's request, by Pope Innocent,
allowing Maunsel to be ordained and
promoted although his mother married
his father, a man of noble birth, not
knowing that he was a deacon ; his father
repenting, resumed his orders, and a di-
vorce was declared ; the dispensation
should hold good, even though the mother's
plea of ignorance and the reputation of a
lawful marriage could not be sustained ;
ibid, i, 362. Many documents refer to
his superabundance of benefices ; see
specially ibid. 378.
84 He in July 1265 joined with the
patron, Sir Robert Banastre, in assigning
an annual pension of 30 marks to the
mother church of Lichfield. Canon
Bridgeman states : 'A sum of 16 is now
(1887) paid annually by the rector of
Wigan to the sacristan of Lichfield Cathe-
dral.'
Master Richard was itill living in
1278; Assize R. 1238, m. 33d. His
surname shows that he was a local man.
He had a son Nicholas, who in 1292 was
summoned to warrant William, rector of
Donington, in the possession of a mes-
suage in Wigan claimed by Robert Sper-
ling and Sabina his wife ; Assize R. 408,
m. 35 d.
85 This rector was probably appointed
at the vacancy in 1281, when the king, as
stated in the text, claimed the patronage.
Adam was the rector summoned in 1292
to show his title to manorial rights in
Wigan ; Plac. de Quo War. (Rec. Com.),
371. He was chancellor of Lichtield
Cathedral from 1276 till 1292, when he
was made precentor, retaining the latter
office till his death in August i 303 ; Le
Neve, Fast, i, 579. His executors were
Adam de Walton, rector of Mitton, Adam
de Walton, junior, and Richard de Ful-
shaw ; De Bane. R. 164, m. 300 d.
Lichfield Epis. Reg. i, fol. gb. He
was not ordained priest till he became
rector ; ibid, i, fol. 98^. John de Lang-
ton, afterwards Bishop of Chichester, pre-
sented as guardian of Alice Banastre,
heiress of the barony of Newton.
The new rector was a king's clerk and
held several public appointments ; Parl.
Writs, ii (3), 685-6. Leave of absence
was granted by the bishop in September
1322 ; Lich. Epis. Reg. ii, fol. 7. He sided
with Thomas, Earl of Lancaster, and in
1323 was called upon to answer for the
part he had taken in the rising of 1321.
By the jury of the wapentake of West
Derby it was presented that Robert de
Clitheroe, rector of Wigan, who had for
thirty years been a clerk in the king's
chancery and for some time escheator this
side of Trent, had at his own cost sent
two men at arms to the earl's assistance,
one of them being his own son Adam de
Clitherow, accompanied by four men on
foot, all properly armed ; also, that on a
certain solemn day, preaching in his
church at Wigan before all the people, he
had told them that they owed allegiance
to the earl and must assist him in his
cause against the king, which was a just
cause ; in consequence whereof divers of
his hearers joined the earl. Robert at
once denied that he had sent anyone to
swell the earl's forces ; and all he had
said in church was to ask his parishioners
to pray for the king and the nobles and
for the peace of the realm. He was, how-
ever, convicted, and made peace with the
king by a fine ; Parl. Writs, ii (2), App.
240.
At the beginning of the next reign he
sued for relief as to the payment of his
fine of 300 marks, alleging that most of
it had been paid, though the sheriff, since
deceased, had not accounted for it to
the Exchequer. He did not obtain his
request. He acknowledged that he had
sent a man mounted and armed for the
earl's service, as indeed he was bound to
do by the tenure of hit rectory ; Rolls of
Parl. ii, 406.
He died 4 June 1334 and was buried in
Sawley Abbey. He granted his ' manor of
Bayley ' to the abbey of Cockersand in
1330 ; Harland, Salley Abbey, 64, 65 ;
Whitaker, Wballey (ed. Nichols), ii, 471.
7 Lich. Epis. Reg. ii, foL 109^, where
he is called John, son of John de Langton.
On the day of his institution two years'
leave for study within England was granted
him, on condition that he proceeded to
the higher orders, ibid, ii, fol. 8. The
new rector was a younger brother of the
patron, with whom in 1343 he had a dis-
pute as to the tithes of Hindley ; it was
alleged by Robert that Ivo was bound to
pay him twenty marks a year, and ,20
every other year, and that the tithes taken
had been assigned in lieu of the pension ;
Assize R. 430, m. 8 d. ; 434, m. 3 (quoted
by Canon Bridgeman).
Ivo was still rector in 1344 ; Assize R.
H3 5. m- 37-
Clarice de Bolton, ' formerly aunt of the
rector of Wigan,' in 1354 brought a suit
against the Langtons to recover an an-
nuity ; Duchy of Lane. Assize R. 3, m.
4d, i.
88 Lich. Epis. Reg. ii, fol. 118, may re-
fer to his nomination. See De Bane. R.
358, m. 50. Though presented it is not
certain that he was instituted ; he is prob-
ably the John de Craven indicted two
61
years previously for entering into a con-
spiracy to procure the presentation of him-
self to the rectory ; Lanes, and Cites. Recs.
(Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), ii, 362.
89 Lich. Epis. Reg. ii, fol. 1 18 ; De Bane.
R. 358, m. 50. Master John de Craven
was a canon of St. John's, Chester, from
1344 (or earlier) until 1363; Ormerod,
Ches. (ed. Helsby), i, 308, 309. Before
1 348 he was commissary for Peter Gomez,
Cardinal Bishop of the Sabines, as arch-
deacon of Chester; Cal. Pat. 1345-8,
pp. 245, 297.
In 1351 he was fined 40 for extortion
in his capacity as official of the deanery
of Warrington ; Assize R. 431, m. 2.
40 In 1347 the pope reserved to Henry
de Dale, M.A., B.C.L., B.M., a dignity
in Wells, not episcopal ; he held various
canonries and the churches of Higham
and Wigan, but was ordered to resign the
latter ; Cal. of Papal Letters, iii, 242. See
also Cal. Close, 1349-54, p. 54. Nothing
further seems known of this rector's pos-
session.
41 Lich. Epis. Reg. ii, fol. 126, 125*.
The dispute as to the patronage has been
related above ; John de Winwick was
twice presented and instituted. He was
another busy public official ; see Rymer,
Feed. (Syllabus), 330, &c. Among his
ecclesiastical preferments he held the
treasurership of York Minster ; Le Neve,
Fasti, iii, 160. He was entrusted with
the wardship of William de Molyneux in
1359 ; Dep. Keeper's Rep. xxxii, App. 346.
He died about the end of 1359 and was
buried at Huyton, where a chantry for
him was founded. In 1352 the pope
granted him the union of the rectory with
the Treasurership of York, of which he
was not yet in actual possession ; Cal.
of Papal Letters, iii, 460.
A detailed account of his career will be
found in Canon Bridgeman's work, 47-
56.
43 Lich. Epis. Reg. iv, fol. 6 ; he pro-
mised to pay the 20 a year to Lichfield
Cathedral.
<* Lich. Epis. Reg. iv, fol. 6 (quoted by
Canon Bridgeman).
44 Lich. Epis. Reg. iv, fol. 80 ; he took
the oath to pay the pension. John of
Gaunt presented, owing to the minority
of Ralph de Langton. The new rector
had leave of absence granted him in Jan-
uary 1365-6 ; ibid, v, fol. izb.
This rector complained to the pope as
to the pension he had to pay to Lichfield ;
the Bishop of London was thereupon, in
1367, directed to inquire into the matter,
and if the facts were found to be as
alleged he was to relax the rector's oath
regarding this payment ; Cal. of Papal Let-
ters, iv, 66. Walter de Campden died at
Plymouth 10 July 1370, as appears by the
Lich. Reg.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
Instituted
24 Aug. 1370 .
oc. 1415-31 . .
oc. 1432-47
oc. 1451 . . .
oc. 1485 . . .
9 Aug. 1504 .
1 6 Aug. 1506
10 Oct. 1519
oc. 1528-32 . .
oc. 1532-3
24 Mar 1534-5.
8 Aug. 1543 .
? March 1550 ,
1550 ,
2 Mar. 1554-5
Name
James de Langton 4i .
William de Langton 46 .
James de Langton 41 .
Oliver de Langton 48 .
John Langton 49
Thomas Langton * .
Richard Wyot, D.D. ".
Thomas Linacre, M.D 53
Nicholas Towneley" .
Richard Langton M . .
Richard Kighley M . .
John Herbert M . . .
John Standish, D.D." .
Richard Smith s8 . .
Richard Gerard . .
Presented by
Ralph de Langton .
Cause of Vacancy
d. W. de Campdcn
Langton feoffees
The King . .
Thos. Langton .
d. J. Langton
d. T. Langton
res. R. Wyot
Sir T. Langton
Thos. White .
The King . .
10 Aug. 1558 . Thomas Stanley
Earl of Derby, &c.
fjohn Fleetwood .
\Peter Farington .
d. R. Langton
d. R. Kighley
d. R. Smith
d. R. Gerard
Lich. Epis. Reg. iv, fol. 85* ; v, fol.
28^, 30. He had received only the ton-
sure, but was made priest n April 1371 ;
ibid, v, fol. loob.
James de Langton is mentioned as rec-
tor down to 1414, about the end of which
year he died ; Dep. Keeper's Rep. xxxiii,
App. 12, 'late rector.' He was one of
the feoffees of Richard de Molyneux of
Sefton in 1394; Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Chet.
Soc.), i, 70 ; ibid. 103.
46 William de Langton is mentioned as
rector a number of times from 1417 to
1430 ; Dep. Keeper's Rep. xxxiii, 13, &c.
In 1431-2 he was 'late rector '; ibid. 32.
*7 In a plea of 1441 mention is made
of William de Langton as rector before
10 Hen. VI, and James de Langton as
rector in the same year ; a note is added,
recording a pardon to the latter, dated
1446-7 ; Pal. of Lane. Plea R. 3, m. 31 A.
In 1436 James de Langton, rector of
Wigan, was proceeding to France in the
retinue of the Duke of York ; Dep.
Keeper's Rep. xlviii, App. 310.
He appears to have been a violent and
lawless man, and his name frequently
occurs in the plea rolls. In 1442 the
sheriff" was ordered to arrest Christopher,
Edward, Edmund, and Oliver de Langton,
sons of James de Langton, the rector ; also
Margaret Holerobyn of Wigan, the rector's
mistress ; Pal. of Lane. Plea" R. 4 (quoted
by Canon Bridgeman).
46 Oliver Langton in 1451 covenanted
to pay the 20 yearly to Lichfield ;
Bridgeman, op. cit. 69. He was still living
in 1462 ; ibid. 70.
In 1457 the Bishop of Lichfield issued
a commission to Dr. Duckworth, vicar of
Prescot, and others to inquire as to the
pollution of the churchyard of Wigan by
bloodshed, forbidding it to be used for in-
terments until it should be reconciled ;
Lich. Epis. Reg. xi, fol. gib.
49 John Langton, rector of Wigan,
occurs in July 1485 ; Local Glean. Lanes.
and Ches. i, 266. In 1498 he was called
upon to show by what title he claimed
various manorial rights in Wigan ; Pal. of
Lane. Writs, Lent, 1 3 Hen. VII.
60 Lich. Epis. Reg. xiii-xiv, fol. 53 ;
the patrons were James Anderton, Wil-
liam Banastre, Thomas Langton (brother
of Gilbert Langton of Lowe), and William
Woodcock, feoffee* of Ralph Langton, de-
ceased.
61 Lich. Epis. Reg. xiii-xiv, fol. 54^ ;
Act Bks. at Chester ; the king presented
on account of the minority of Thomai
Langton. Dr. Wyot was a man of some
university distinction, being at one time
master of Christ's College, Cambridge ;
and he held several benefices ; see Atbe-
nae Cantab, i, 26.
* a Lich. Epis. Reg. xiii-xiv, fol. 6ob. The
biography of this distinguished man may
be read in Dr. J. N. Johnson's Life of
him $ also in the Diet. Nat. Biog., and
Canon Bridgeman, op. cit. 73-95- He
appears to have exchanged the Precentor-
ship of York Minster for the rectory of
Wigan, Dr. Wyot receiving the former
office on 13 November 1519 ; Le Neve,
Fasti, iii, 156. It was only in his later
years that Linacre, though made rector of
Mersham in 1509, devoted himself to
theology, and he was not ordained priest
until 22 December 1520, the rectory of
Wigan giving him a title.
58 Nicholas Towneley,as rector of Wigan
and chaplain to Cardinal Wolsey, com-
plained of a disturbance in his court at
Wigan in Apr. 1528 ; Duchy Plead. (Rec.
Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 173. He was
appointed to a prebend in York Minster
in Dec. 1531 ; Le Neve, Fasti, iii, 181 ;
and died at Hampton Court on or about
10 Nov. 1532; Duchy Plead, ii, in
(where there is an error in the year ; cf.
Le Neve).
54 There is mention of him in Piccope's
Wills (Chet. Soc.), ii, 247 n.
66 Lich. Epis. Reg. xiii-xiv, fol. 34 ; he
made oath that he would pay the^2O to the
dean and chapter of Lichfield, according
to ancient custom.
Soon after his appointment he leased
the rectory for five years for 106 i 3*. $d.
a year, the odd 6 131. 4^. being payable
to the curate in charge. The lessee, John
Kitchin, a lawyer, had become surety for
the first-fruits, which had now become
part of the royal revenue. This transac-
tion was the origin of much disputing.
Kitchin was not satisfied with this short
lease, and appears to have obtained the
promise of an extension for thirty-three
years, and to this he obtained the patron's
consent. When, therefore, the rector
attempted to regain possession in 1 540 he
was resisted, and though he had the as-
sistance of a number of persons 'of cruel
demeanour,' who ' in a riotous and forcible
manner ' entered the glebe lands and
turned the lessee's cattle out, the inquiry
which took place was so far favourable to
Kitchin that the rector granted a lease for
thirty years at the same rent ; Ducatus
Lane. (Rec. Com.), i, 164 ; ii, 64. The
evidence is given very fully in Canon
Bridgeman's History, 102-7.
M Act Bks. at Ches. Dioc. Reg. ; Bridge-
man, op. cit. 113. Paid first-fruits 6 Aug.
62
1543 ; Lanes, and Ches. Recs. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), ii, 408. John Kitchin
had purchased the right of next presenta-
tion from Sir Thomas Langton in 1538,
and afterwards sold it to Sir Richard
Gresham and Thomas White, citizens of
London.
John Herbert became one of the canons
of St. Stephen's, Westminster, in Dec.
1530 ; L. and P. Hen. Vlll, iv, 6803
(19). He was vicar of Penistone from
1545 to 1550, the patron being the dean
of the Chapels Royal ; Hunter, Doncaster,
"> 339- .
*7 It is possible that Dr. Standish was
never actually rector of Wigan, though
Edward VI presented him on the death of
John Herbert ; Strype, Mem. iv, 260.
He does not appear to have paid first-
fruits. His singular and discreditable
career is sketched by Canon Bridgeman,
op. cit. 115-21. See Foster, Alumni
Oxon. } Diet. Nat. Biog.
88 He paid his first-fruits ii Feb.
1550-1. He had much trouble with the
tithepayers, or rather the sub-lessees under
Kitchin' s lease ; Ducatus Lane. (Rec.
Com.), ii, 141 ; Bridgeman, 123-7.
69 Act Bks. at Chester. The patrons
were the Earl of Derby, Lord Strange,
and others, under a demise by Sir Thomas
Langton in 1551. The new rector, a son
of William Gerard of Ince, had been pre-
sented to Grappenhall as early as 1522,
and to Bangor on Dee in 1542, resigning
the former on becoming rector of Wigan ;
Ormerod, Ches. (ed. Helsby), i, 600. He
took part in 1554 in the examinations of
George Marsh at Lathom ; speaking of
the second Prayer Book of Edward VI he
remarked, ' This last Communion was the
most devilish thing that ever was devised ' ;
Foxe, Acts and Monuments (ed. Cattley),
vii, 42.
60 Act Bks. at Chester ; Bridgeman,
op. cit. ; the patrons acted under a grant
made by Sir Thomas Langton on 10 May
1558.
Thomas Stanley, supposed to have been
an illegitimate son of Lord Mounteagle,
was Bishop of Sodor and Man from 1558
to 1568 ; Moore, Sodor and Man, 96, 138.
He also held the rectories of Winwick
and North Meols in Lancashire and Bar-
wick in Elmet. He was living quite un-
disturbed in South Lancashire about 1564
to the great indignation of the Protestant
Bishop of Durham ; Parker, Carres. (Par-
ker Soc.), 222. The metrical history of
the house of Stanley is attributed to him.
See Foster, Alumni Oxon. ; Diet. Nat.
Biog.
WEST DERBY HUNDRED
Instituted
Apl. 1569
8 Feb. 1570-1 .
9 Oct. 1604
21 Jan. 1615-16.
c. 1643 . . .
1653 . . .
1662 .
1668 . . .
1673 . . .
WIGAN
Name
William Blackleach, B.A. 61
Edward Fleetwood 6 * . .
Gerard Massie, D.D. 63 .
John Bridgeman, D.D. 64 .
James Bradshaw, M.A. 65 .
Charles Hotham, M.A. 66 .
George Hall, D.D. 67 . .
John Wilkins, D.D. 68 . .
John Pearson, D.D. 69 . .
Presented by
John Fleetwood .
The Queen ....
The King ....
,, ....
Parliamentary Comm'rs,,
[Hotham Trustees]
Sir O. Bridgeman .
Bridgeman Trustees .
Cause of Vacancy
d. Bp. Stanley
res. W. Blackleach
d. E. Fleetwood
d. G. Massie
[d. Bp. Bridgeman]
ejec. C. Hotham
d. Bp. Hall
d. Bp. Wilkins
61 Church P. at Chester. First-fruits
paid 22 June 1569.
ra Ches. Reg. (quoted by Canon Bridge-
man) ; first-fruits paid 12 Feb. The
queen presented by reason of the minority
of Thomas Langton, and opportunity was
taken to place in this important rectory a
staunch adherent of the newly-established
religious system. Edward Fleetwood was
a younger son of Thomas Fleetwood of
the Vache, Buckinghamshire. He was
but a young man, and established a good
example by residing in his rectory ; he
was ' the first beginner ' of monthly com-
munions at Wigan ; Bridgeman, op. cit.
235. He also caused forms to be placed
in the nave ; they were made from the
timber of the rood-loft ; ibid. 272. He
instituted various suits for the recovery of
the revenues and rights of his church ;
Bridgeman, op. cit. 143-63.
He took part in the persecution of
'Popish recusants," and it is clear from
the letter printed in Bridgeman, 166-71,
as from his not wearing the surplice in
1589 (Visit. Bks.), and his joining in the
petition to Convocation in 1604, that he
was a Puritan ; he was indeed charged
with 'neglect and contempt* in not ob-
serving the forms of the Book of Common
Prayer, op. cit. 160 ; a\aoHist. MSS. Com.
Rep. ativ, App. iv, 597. A sympathizer
with the victims of his zeal 'could not
stay his pen from writing unto him to
commend him to leave off blaspheming
against this our Catholic faith or else he
would drink of Judas' sop," and threw
the protest into the rector's pew ; Bridge-
man, op. cit. 1 74. For some of the present-
ments made by Rector Fleetwood against
parishioners alleged to have received
priests, see Gibson, Lydiate Hall, 239,
240.
68 On 21 June 1604 the benefice was
sequestered to preserve the fruits for the
next incumbent ; on 6 Oct. Brian Vin-
cent, B.D., was presented by John Sweet-
ing and William Hobbes, acting by demise
of Sir Thomas Langton ; but this grant
not being satisfactory, the Bishop of Ches-
ter referred the matter to the king, who
had presented Gerard Massie, B.D., as
early as 17 July ; Bridgeman, op. cit.
179. The first-fruits were paid 23 Feb.
1604-5. See also Pal. of Lane. Plea
R. 296, m. 5, where it is stated that the
advowson was held by the fifth part of a
knight's fee.
The new rector was son of William
Massie of Chester and Grafton, near
Malpas ; Ormerod, Ches. (ed. Helsby), ii,
706. He was educated at Brasenose Col-
lege, Oxford; B.A. 1592; D.D. 1609;
Foster, Alumni Oxon. In 1615 he was
nominated to the bishopric of Chester,
but died in London, 16 Jan. 1615-16,
before consecration ; Bridgeman, op. cit.
1 80.
64 Bridgeman, op. cit. 181-455, the
whole of pt. ii. The following is a brief
outline: John SOD of Thomas Bridgeman
was born at Exeter in 1577 ; educated at
Oriel College, Oxford, and Peterhouse,
Cambridge, being elected fellow of Magda-
lene in the latter university in 1599 ; he
also took degrees at Oxford ; D.D. at
Cambridge, 1612. He soon obtained pre-
ferment, and married ; having attracted
the attention of James I his advance was
rapid (pp. 1 8 1-6). At Wigan he recovered
many rights of the church, and thus greatly
increased the rectorial income (pp. 188-
262). In 1619 he was appointed Bishop
of Chester, retaining in commendam the
rectory of Wigan and the prebends he
held at Exeter and Lichfield (p. 236).
He compiled the valuable 'Wigan Leger' ;
caused the church to be repaired, procured
the erection of an organ (destroyed under
the Commonwealth), and made the seats
in the body of the church uniform ; with-
out interfering with claims to particular
sitting places, ' he advised them to rank
the best in the highest seats, and so place
on the one side only men and on the
other side their wives in order ; and to
seclude children and servants from sitting
with their masters or mistresses ' (pp. 272,
273). Down to 1629 he usually resided
at Wigan (p. 333). In ecclesiastical
matters he was a somewhat strict disci-
plinarian, though not unduly harsh to the
Puritans.
Adhering to the king at the outbreak
of the Civil War, he was ejected from the
bishopric and rectory and fined 3,000 by
the Parliament (pp. 437-40). He died at
his son Orlando's residence, Morton Hall,
near Oswestry, in Nov. 1652 (p. 440).
This son was made a judge on the Re-
storation, and was Lord Keeper from
1667 to 1672 ; the Earl of Bradford is his
descendant and heir. Foster, Alumni
Oxon. } Diet. Nat. Biog.
85 James Bradshaw, son of John Brad-
shaw of Darcy Lever, was educated at
Brasenose College, Oxford ; M.A. 1637 ;
Bridgeman, op. cit. 462 ; Foster, Alumni
Oxon. He was placed in the rectory by
the Committee of Plundered Ministers
' upon the delinquency of Dr. Bridgeman,'
but was never legally the rector ; in
1650 he was described as 'a painful, able,
preaching minister,' but he had refused
to observe the last fast day ; Common-
wealth Ch. Suri>. 59 ; Plund. Mint. Accts.
(Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 41. He
lost the benefice in 1653 because of the
leg;il rector's death, but was soon after-
wards appointed to Macclesfield, where
he remained till the Act of Uniformity
of 1662 was enforced ; ibid. 470. After-
wards he ministered as a Nonconformist
in Lancashire.
66 Charles Hotham was a son of Sir
John Hotham and ancestor of the present
Lord Hotham. He was educated at
Christ's College, Cambridge ; M.A. 1639 ;
fellow of Peterhouse, 1640-51, being de-
prived by Parliament. He was probably
presented by his father's trustees, after
the death of Bishop Bridgeman, and paid
63
his first-fruits 9 May 1653. Soon after
the restoration of Charles II John Burton
was presented to the rectory by the king,
Hotham being accused of heterodoxy ;
but on 8 October 1660 the latter was re-
instated, only to be ejected in 1662 on
refusal to comply with the Act of Uni-
formity ; Bridgeman, op. cit. 473-6 ; Def.
Keeper's Rep. xliv, App. 34,68. He after-
wards resided in the Bermudas ; returned
to England and became a fellow of the
Royal Society ; Diet. Nat. Biog,
7 Son of Dr. Joseph Hall, Bishop of
Norwich j educated at Exeter College,
Oxford , of which he became fellow ; M.A.
1634; D.D. 1660. He was made Bishop
of Chester in 1662, and held the arch-
deaconry of Canterbury and the rectory of
Wigan in commcndam. While he was rector
communion was administered at Wigan six
times a year. Bishop Hall died 23 Aug.
1668 from a wound inflicted by a knife
in his pocket when he chanced to fall in
his garden at Wigan. See Bridgeman,
op. cit. 485-96; Foster, Alumni Oxon. ,
Diet. Nat. Biog.
An inventory of the church goods in
Apr. 1668 is printed by Canon Bridge-
man, op. cit. p. 551 ; the vestments con-
sisted of two surplices ; there was a green
carpet cloth for the communion table ;
the books included a copy of Juell and
Hardin , there were an hour-glass, a
great chest, and other miscellaneous ar-
ticles.
s Son of Walter Wilkins of Oxford ;
educated there, graduating from Magdalen
Hall; M.A. 1634. He was made vicar
of Fawsley in 1637; conformed to the
Presbyterian discipline under the Com-
monwealth ; D.D. 1649 ; readily accepted
the Prayer Book on the Restoration and
rose rapidly, being made Bishop of Chester
in 1668, and receiving with it the rectory
of Wigan. As bishop he was extremely
lenient to the Nonconformists. He was
devoted to scientific studies, and was one
of the founders of the Royal Society in
1660. He died 19 Nov. 1672. See
Bridgeman, op. cit. 497-513; Foster,
Alumni Oxon. ; Diet. Nat. Biog.
69 Bishop Pearson, the most famous of
the modern rectors of Wigan, was the son
of Robert Pearson, archdeacon of Suffolk.
He was born in 1613, educated at Queens'
and King's Colleges, Cambridge, becoming
fellow of the latter in 1634 ; M.A. 1639.
He retired into private life on the success
of the Parliament and devoted himself to
study and controversy, his Exposition oj
the Creed first appearing in 1659. '"
1662 he was made master of Trinity Col-
lege, Cambridge. In 1673 he was ap-
pointed Bishop of Chester and also rector
of Wigan. He resided part of the summer
at Wigan, employing three curates, two
being preachers and the third a reader in
deacon's orders. He died 16 July 1686
at Chester, and was buried in the cathedral.
See Bridgeman, op. cit. 513-64 ; Diet.
Nat. Biog.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
Instituted Name
1686 . . . Thomas Cartwright, D.D. ro . . .
1689 . . . Nicholas Stratford, D.D 71 . . .
Mar. 1706-7. Hon. Edward Finch, M. A." . . .
30 April 1714 . Samuel Aldersey, M.A. 73 . . . .
12 May 1741 . Roger Bridgeman, D.D. 74 . . .
(3 J ul y) '75 shirle y Cotes, M.A. 75 . . . .
27 Feb. 1776 . Guy Fairfax, M.A. 76
30 July 1 790 . George Bridgeman 77
4 Jan. 1833 . Sir Henry John Gunning, M.A 78 .
17 Oct. 1864 Hon. George Thomas Orlando
Bridgeman, M.A. 79
24 Feb. 1896 . Roland George Matthew, M.A. 80 .
Presented by
Bridgeman Trustees
Wm. Lord Digby . .
Sir H. Bridgeman .
Sir H. Bridgeman, &c.
Earl of Bradford . .
Bishop of Chester . .
Earl of Bradford .
Cause of Vacancy
d. Bp. Pearson
d. Bp. Cartwright
d. Bp. Stratford
res. E. Finch
d. S. Aldersey
d. R. Bridgeman
d. S. Cotes
res. G. Fairfax
d. G. Bridgeman
res. Sir H. Gunning
d G. T. O. Bridgeman
The earlier rectors of Wigan, when presented by men of no distinction, whose only recommendation
the kings, were busy public officials, who probably was their family connexion.
never saw the church from which they drew a small
addition to their incomes ; and when presented by
The Vahr of 1535 does not record any chapelries
or chantries nor mention any clergy except the rector
the hereditary patrons were, with few exceptions, and the Bradshagh chantry priest, but Upholland
70 Thomas Cartwright was a grandson
of his namesake the famous Puritan of
Queen Elizabeth's days. His parents
were Presbyterians, and he was educated
at Queen's College, Oxford, while it was
under Puritan rule ; M.A. 1655. This
makes it the more noteworthy that he
ignored the laws in force and was ordained
in the year just mentioned according to
the Anglican form by Dr. Skinner, who
had been Bishop of Oxford, but was then
living in retirement. He took a benefice
under the existing rule, but as might be
expected, at once conformed on the Resto-
ration, and received various preferments.
He also secured the firm friendship of
the Duke of York, and was one of the
very few who thoroughly devoted them-
selves to his cause when he became king.
He was made Bishop of Chester and also
rector of Wigan in 1686, and retired to
Ireland with the king, dying in Dublin
15 Apr. 1689. His diary, printed by the
Camden Society, contains many particulars
of local interest.
See Bridgeman, op. cit. 564-78 ; Fos-
ter, Alumni Oxon. ; Diet. Nat. Biog. ;
Chester Arch. Soc. Trans, (new ser.), iv,
1-33-
7 1 He was the son of a tradesman at
Hemel Hempstead ; educated at Trinity
College, Oxford ; M.A. and fellow 1656 ;
D.D. 1673 ; warden of Manchester
1667-84 ; dean of St. Asaph 1674 ; noted
for his tolerance of Dissenters ; Bishop of
Chester and rector of Wigan, 1689, being
jne of the first bishops nominated by
William III. He resided at Wigan oc-
casionally, and rebuilt the parsonage
house in 1695. See Bridgeman, op. cit.
578-601 ; Foster, Alumni Oxon. } Diet.
Nat. Biog.
7* The bishopric of Chester was at this
time kept vacant for a year, while the
rectory of Wigan was filled by the appoint-
ment of the Hon. Edward Finch, a son of
the first Earl of Nottingham, and a brother
of Henry Finch, dean of York and rector
of Winwick. He was educated at Christ's
College, Cambridge, of which he was a
fellow ; M.A. 1679. He represented his
university in the Parliament of 1690 ; Le
Neve, Fasti, iii, 650. The patrons were
Sir John Bridgeman, the Bishop of Lon-
don, Lord Digby, and John and Orlando
Bridgeman. The old organ, situated in a
gallery in or near the arch between the
nave and chancel ' between the two
hollow pillars which divide the new and
old chancel,' was the phrase used had
been pulled down in the Commonwealth
period, and in its place the mayor and
corporation had in 1680 made themselves
a pew. This was pulled down in 1709
and a new organ erected, the rector
being himself a musician ; while the rents
from the west end gallery, originally in-
tended for the singers, were appropriated
to the organist's salary. Members of the
corporation did not take kindly to this
ejection from their gallery, and it was
probably owing to the ill-feeling and dis-
putes thus engendered that Rector Finch
resigned in 1713, apparently before the
new organ had been brought into use.
He died at York, where he had a canonry,
in 1738. See Bridgeman, op. cit. 601-13 ;
Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. xiv, App. iv, 447 ;
Diet. Nat. Biog. ; Le Neve, Fasti, iii, 223 ;
i, 48.
" 8 He was the second son and eventual
heir of Thomas Aldersey of Aldersey ; was
born in 1673, educated at Brasenose Col-
lege, Oxford ; M.A. 1700. He no doubt
owed this promotion to his marriage with
Henrietta, daughter of Dean Bridgeman of
Chester ; Ormerod, Ches. (ed. Helsby), ii,
740. He appears to have resided at
Wigan. Among the improvements in the
church during his incumbency were the
recasting of the bells, including ' the little
bell called the Catherine bell,' a new
clock, ' repairing the curtains at the altar,'
a new gallery, &c. At other times (e.g.
p. 658) 'a small bell called the Ting-
tang' is named. The dispute as to the
corporation seat was settled by assign-
ing them the western gallery. See Bridge-
man, op. cit. 614-28 ; Foster, Alumni
Oxon.
7* He was a son of Sir John Bridgeman ;
educated at Oriel College, Oxford, of which
he became fellow; M.A. 1725; D.D.
1736. He held several benefices, and was
appointed vicar of Bolton in 1737. He
appears to have resided at Wigan from
time to time. He died unmarried in June
1750. See Bridgeman, op. cit. 628-34 ;
Foster, Alumni Oxon.
75 Lord Digby was the only surviving
trustee.
The new rector was a son of John
Cotes of Woodcote in Shropshire, &c. ;
educated at Magdalen Hall, Oxford ; M.A.
1737. He appears to have resided at
Wigan until the last years of his life. He
died at Woodcote, n Dec. 1775. His
eldest son John was member for Wigan
64
from 1782 to 1802. See Bridgeman, op.
cit. 635-8 ; Foster, Alumni Oxon.
' 6 Guy Fairfax, a son of Thomas Fair-
fax of Newton Kyme, and a cousin of
Lady Bridgeman, was educated at Christ
Church, Oxford ; M.A. 1759. A new
church, St. George's, was built in 1781.
It appears that the 'prayer bell' was
rung twice a day on week days. Mr.
Fairfax resided at Wigan during his
tenure of the rectory, which he resigned
for Newton Kyme in 1790. See Bridge-
man, op. cit. 638-40 ; Foster, Alumni
Oxon.
77 The other patrons were Richard
Hopkins and John Heaton. The new
rector was a son of Sir Henry Bridgeman,
who in 1794 was created Lord Bradford.
He was educated at Queens' College, Cam-
bridge ; M.A. 1790. He also became
rector of Weston under Lizard and of
Plemstall. He died 27 Oct. 1832. See
Bridgeman, op. cit. 640-59.
7 8 H. J. Gunning was a younger son
of Sir George W. Gunning, bart., and a
nephew of the patron. He was educated
at Balliol College, Oxford; M.A. 1822.
On the death of his brother Sir Robert
in 1862, he succeeded to the baronetcy.
The parish church was restored during
his tenure of the rectory; and in 1837
he obtained an Act of Parliament en-
abling the rector of Wigan to grant min-
ing leases for working the coal under
the glebe. In 1860 with the consent
of the patron he sold the manorial rights
to the mayor and corporation. See
Bridgeman, op. cit. 659-73 ; Foster,
Alumni Oxon.
7* The new rector, a son of the second
Earl of Bradford, was collated by the
Bishop of Chester, to whom the right had
lapsed. He was educated at Trinity Col-
lege, Cambridge; M.A. 1845; ordained
in 1849, an d ne ^ various preferments.
He was chaplain to Queen Victoria, rural
dean of Wigan, hon. canon of Chester and
then^ of Liverpool. He procured the
passing of the Wigan Glebe Act, 1871,
enabling him to rebuild the rectory, much
shaken by coal-mining, and to sell part of
the glebe. Canon Bridgeman died in
1896. See his work, already cited,
673-83.
80 Son of David Matthew of London ;
scholar of Wadham College, Oxford ;
M.A. 1877; vicar of St. Michael and
All Angels', Wigan, 1881 ; hon. canon
of Liverpool, 1904.
WEST DERBY HUNDRED
WIGAN
Priory was still in existence. 81 The Clergy List of
I 541 2 8J shows that there were four priests within
the parish, apart from rector and cantarist ; one of
these was the curate, Ralph Scott ; two were paid by
Robert Langton and Thomas Gerard ; the mainten-
ance of the other is not recorded.
In the Visitation List in 1548 is left a blank for
the rector's name ; then follow eight names, one
being that of the chantry priest ; but two of the
clergy seem to have been absent. In 1554 Master
Richard Smith, rector ; the curate, and three others
appeared, including the former chantry priest. No
improvement took place under the episcopate of
Bishop Scott, though he had a personal interest in
the parish. In 1562 the Bishop of Sodor and Man
did not appear, being ' excused by the Bishop of
Chester.' Ralph Scott appeared and exhibited his
subscription, so that he was prepared to accept the
Elizabethan order, as he had accepted all the previous
changes ; two other names also appear in the list, one
of an old priest, the other a fresh name. In 1565
only three names are shown in the list Bishop Stan-
ley, who ' did not exhibit,' his curate Ralph Scott, and
Thomas Baron or Barow, whose name had appeared
in each list from 1 548, and who perhaps had no minis-
terial office. 83 Thus it appears that by this time the
working clergy had been reduced to one, the curate
of the parish church. 84
The short incumbency of William Blackleach, of
whom nothing is known, was followed by that of a
decided Protestant, Edward Fleetwood. He was one
of the two ' preachers 'in 1 590 at the parish church ;
there were no preachers at the two chapelries, Uphol-
land and Billinge. 85 The Puritan rector and his
curate in 1592 were reported to 'wear no surplice,'
nor did they catechise the youth, and were admon-
ished accordingly ; it is also stated that ' they want a
chancel.' 86 In 1610 there was 'a preacher' at the
parish church, but none at either of the chapels. 87
The Commonwealth surveyors of 1650 recom-
mended the subdivision of the parish ; Holland
Chapel had already been cut off by an Act of 1 646,
and the committee of Plundered Ministers had made
several increments in the stipends of the incumbents
of the chapelries out of Bishop Bridgeman's sequestered
tithes. 88 After the Restoration both the rector and
a large number of the Protestants remained firm in
their attachment to the Presbyterian discipline, while
the rectory was till 1706 held by the Bishops of
Chester, among them the learned Pearson. Here, as
in other parishes, the great increase in population
during the igth century has led to the erection of
many new churches and the subdivision of the ancient
parish, there being now twenty parochial churches in
connexion with the Establishment, besides licensed
churches and mission rooms. 89
There was only one endowed chantry ; it was
founded in 1338 by Mabel, widow of Sir William de
Bradshagh, who endowed it with a messuage in Wigan
and tenements at Haigh. 90 In 1548 the chantry
priest was celebrating at the altar of our Lady in the
church according to his foundation. 91
The charities of Wigan M comprise
CHARITIES a large number of separate benefac-
tions, mostly for the poor in general,
but some especially for clothing or apprenticing boys. 91
81 Valor Eccl. (Rec. Com.), v, 220.
M Printed by the Rec. Soc. of Lanes,
and Ches. p. 14.
88 A Thomas Baron, perhaps the same,
had been chantry priest in 1534; Valor
Eccl. v, 220.
84 These details are taken from the
Visitation Lists preserved in the Diocesan
Registry at Chester. A communion
table had replaced the altar by 1561 ;
Bridgeman, op. cit. 136.
85 Gibson, Lydiate Hall, 248, quoting
S.P. Dom. Eliz. ccxxxv, 4. The second
preacher at the parish church was paid by
the lord of Newton, apparently in con-
tinuation of the old custom.
86 Trans. Hist. Soc. (new sen), x, 192.
Bishop Bridgeman gives a full account of
the 'old chancel' as it was in 1620.
Rector Fleetwood had removed the
' goodly, fair choir seats ' formerly there
and allowed 'plain, rude seats' to be
placed instead. The communion table
stood in the middle of it ; the bishop as
rector was placed at the west end, his
' wife, Sec.,' at the east end, his servants
on the south side ; the ' minister's box '
was on the north side, where also the
clerks had a seat. In the old rood-loft
the bishop had lately placed an organ ;
and he built up a ' new chancel,' at the
east end of the old one. See Bridgeman,
op. cit. 263, 264. This new chancel
was several steps higher than the old, and
contained the altar, 271.
8 ? Hist. AfSS. Com. Rep. xiv, App. iv, 13.
88 Common-wealth Ch. Sur-v. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), 59-64 ; Plund. Mins.
Accts. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 25,
41 ; ii, 129.
A list of the modern curates is given
by Canon Bridgeman, op. cit. 723-9.
88 An account of the sale of a pew in
the parish church in 1796 is given in
Lanes, and Ches. Antij. Notes, i, 128.
90 Kuerden MSS. ii, fol. 213, no. 16-21 ;
Cat. Pat. 1334-8, p. 468. The chaplain
was to celebrate at the altar of St. Mary
in Wigan Church for the souls of Edward
II, Sir William de Bradshagh, Mabel his
wife, and others.
Very few names of the chantry priests
have been preserved ; Raines, Lanes. Chant.
(Chet. Soc.) i, 66 :
1338. John de Sutton, presented by
Dame Mabel de Bradshagh.
Richard Fletcher.
1488. William Holden, presented by
James Bradshagh, on the
death of R. Fletcher,
oc. 1521. Geoffrey Coppull, vicar of
Mountnessing and chantry
priest of our Blessed Lady
at Wigan, aged 56, gave
evidence in a plea of 1521-
2 ; Duchy Plead, i, 102.
oc. 1534. Thomas Baron.
1535. Vacant.
1544. Hugh Cookson. In 1541 he
was paid byThomas Gerard,
and soon afterwards ap-
pointed to this chantry.
In 1553 he had a pension
of 6oj. 3</., and was fifty-
one years of age. He was
not summoned to the
visitation of 1562, so that
probably he had died be-
fore that time.
91 Lanct, Chant, loc. cit. His duty was
' to celebrate for the souls of the founders
and to sing mass with note twice a week.'
There was no plate, as he used the orna-
ments of the church. The total rental was
665. iod., but is. was paid to the rector as
chief rent, perhaps for a burgage in Wigan.
65
M There was an inquiry at Wigan in
the time of Jas. I concerning 100
given in 1616 by Hugh Bullock the elder,
citizen and haberdasher of London, for
setting the poor of the borough to work
' in spinning of cotton, wool, hemp, flax,
and making of fustians, and other stuffs ;'
it was alleged that the fund was misap-
plied ; and an order was made, 3 Mar.
1624-5, to rectify it ; Harl. MS. 2176,
fol. 32*, 34.
98 The particulars hereafter given are
taken from the Char. Com. Rep, xxi
(1829), 271-319. An inquiry into the
endowed charities of the parish, except
the township of Wigan, was made in
1899.
For Wigan township Hugh Bullock of
London, as recorded in the previous note,
and Henry Mason, rector of St. Andrew
Undershaft, London, each gave 100, the
latter adding 140 later, which in 1632
and 1639 were conveyed to the corpora-
tion ; and a farm in Rainford, and lands
called Bangs in Wigan, and Hall Meadow
in Pemberton, were purchased. In 1828
these were underlet at rents amounting
to ^60 a year, of which only part was
received by the charity. This was used
in binding apprentices. In a feoffment
of 1665 lands at Angerton Moss, Brough-
ton in Furness, are described as the gift
of Oliver Markland, citizen and inn-
holder of London ; this land was sold in
1706, and with the proceeds, 25, a rent-
charge of 201. a year on premises in
Standishgate, Wigan, was purchased ; but
in 1828 no payment had been received
for many years, and it was not known
upon what premises the charge was made.
John Guest, by will in 1653, charged
^3 151. upon premises in Abram called
Bolton House, for cloth to the poor, to be
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
Some have been lost. 94 The most important used to
be the Edmund Molyneux bread charity, being the
profits of his estate at Canewdon in Essex. 94
In the following notes the Report of the 1899
Abram has certain lands, the rents of which are
devoted to charitable uses, and some minor bene-
factions. 96 Pemberton also had some small chari-
ties. 97 At Ince, linen, oatmeal, and gifts of money
inquiry has been used ; in it is reprinted the Report were provided, 98 but part of the fund is lost ; while
_^ . * *- A ,1 .> itl 1 *\f +1* A f-ixr^ t- n ififi ^c r\n ** en r"irnr**e *** A fr
of 1829.
distributed by the minister of the parish
church ; in 1828 3 I Of. was divided
among Wigan and the other townships
in the parish.
Robert Sixsmith, by his will dated
1688, gave two closes in Wigan and one
in Ince, for the needy people of the town,
half the rent* being applicable to schools.
In 1828 the nominal income was about
30 ; the usual practice was to give to
each poor person in the districts into
which the town was divided for distribu-
tion, so that from zd. to is. was all that
each received. Gilbert Ford, in 1705,
left the moiety of a close at Wigan called
the Bannycroft ; in 1828 the half-rent
amounted to 3, which was spent in
linen or flannel garments.
In 1707 Ellen Wells left 100 for the
poor, and Richard Wells, her husband,
,200 for apprenticing boys ; Edward
Holt in 1704 bequeathed 150 and 75
for oat bread or other sort for a Sunday
distribution of bread ; these sums and
other charitable funds were in 1768 used
in building a workhouse, and in 1828
27 6i. 3</. was paid to the churchwar-
dens out of the poor-rate as interest,
which was to be laid out according to the
wishes of the donors in linen, apprentic-
ing boys, doles of bread, and school fees.
An inquiry respecting the Wells charity
is printed in Local Glean. Lanes, and
Ches. ii, 143.
John Baldwin in 1720 left doses called
Barker's Croft and Pilly Toft, charged
with the payment of 100, which had
been entrusted to him by Orlando Bridge-
man for apprenticing two boys each year ;
T, a year was still paid in 1828.
William Brown in 1724 augmented a
bread charity founded by his uncle George
Brown ; and 2 a year was paid by the
owner of a farm in Poolstock as interest,
and laid out in bread.
Ellen Willis, widow, by her will of
1726 left a bond for 100 to her sons
Thomas and Daniel Willis, as trustees,
and added another ,100 ; Margaret
Diggles, widow, gave 100 also ; and in
1 7 3 7, Daniel Willis, the surviving son, and
William Hulton, conveyed to trustees
closes called the Page fields in Frog
Lane, Wigan ; two-thirds of the interest
was to be spent in clothing for poor per-
sons ' frequenting the communion of the
Lord's Supper in the parish church of
Wigan,' while the other third might be
used for apprenticing boys. In 1828 the
rental amounted to about 42, which was
distributed with the Sixsmith and Guest
charities.
Thomas Mort of Damhouse, in 1729
gave money for the Throstle Nests or
Baron's fields, near Gidlow Lane, the
interest to be spent in binding children as
apprentices. The rent in 1828 was 16,
but the trustee being in difficulties, a con-
siderable sum was in arrears. John Hard-
man in 1742 left 200 to found a clothing
charity, and 9 los. a year was available
in 1828, being spent on woollen coats and
cloaks distributed by the curate of Wigan.
James Molyneux, by his will of 1706,
left his lands of inheritance, as also a
leasehold messuage in the Wiend, until
jioo should accrue from the rents to
at Aspull of the two charities one survives." At
found a charity for the poor, or for ap-
prenticing boys. The money was not
paid, but in 1757 Richard Barry, son and
executor of Lord Barrymore, who had
given a bond for the execution of the
will, gave Houghton House and another
burgage in Wigan to the corporation to
fulfil the trust. The lands were leased
for 1000 years, bringing in total rents of
11 5*.; but the buildings upon them,
including tbe Woolpack Inn, were worth
over ,100 a year in 1828. Philippa
Pennington in 1758 gave j2OO to found
two charities, one for the poor generally,
the other for apprenticing boys in Stan-
dishgate ; this seems to have been intact
in 1828.
In 1899 the following changes were
reported in some of the charities named.
John Guest's Charity : The rent-
charge on Bolton House has been re-
deemed, and ,140 consols produces the
income required for the charity.
Holt's Charity : The workhouse hav-
ing been sold ,302 was invested in
consols as the share of this charity. The
income was practically unused, and has
recently been applied to found exhibitions
for poor boys in the grammar school.
94 John Bullock left a rent-charge of 5
a year on premises in St. Dunstan's in
the East, and St. Botolph's to the cor-
poration of Wigan for the poor ; but in
1828 no information could be obtained.
Ralph Sale in 1722 bequeathed to his
wife Hannah a burgage in Wigan, on
which, after paying 201. as lord's rent and
four groats as chief rent to the rector, he
charged ics. a year for the poor. His
widow gave ,15, the messuage being
chargeable. In 1828 the Charity Com-
missioners could not find which the pre-
mises were ; only one house in Wallgate
paid four groats to the rector, and the
owner, Sir R. H. Leigh, was not aware of
any charge of that kind upon it. John
Baldwin, brother of Thomas Baldwin,
rector of Liverpool, by his will of 1726,
charged his house with ^3 a year for the
apprenticing of a child ; but no informa-
tion as to the premises or the charity was
forthcoming in 1828. Robert Forth in
1761 left a charge of zos. for the purchase
of religious books for the poor ; up to
December, 1816 this sum had been yearly
paid to a Wigan bookseller for the purpose
named, but in 1828 nothing could be
ascertained as to who was liable. Anne
Lyonin 1803 left 40 for the poor ; but
the acting executor died insolvent, and the
money was lost.
98 Edmund Molyneux was a citizen of
London, whose will was dated 8 October
1613 ; sixty poor people at Wigan and
thirty at Upholland were to have each a
penny loaf every Sunday. In 1828 it
was producing 55 a year, and the in-
terest was distributed in bread.
A new scheme was approved in 1889,
by which the net income is applied for
the benefit of schools at Wigan and Up-
holland. Owing to agricultural depres-
sion the net income has fallen very much,
being at best only ,9 a year.
98 Abigail Crook gave 1 2, Thomas Ince
,40, and others various sums, so that
95 was laid out in lands, on which a
66
schoolhouse and cottages had been erected,
producing ,18 a year in 1825, laid out
in linen and blankets. The trustees
of Thomas Crook distributed 1 a year
from his foundation in accordance with
their father's will ; and 6s. 6d. was re-
ceived for woollen cloth as the interest of
10 left by William Newton in 1724.
Elizabeth Bevan of Lowton, widow,
left 700 in 1833 for a church and school
in Abram, and the Rev. Nicholas Robin-
son in 1839 left 20 for the Sunday school.
Frances Elizabeth Chadwick in 1878 be-
queathed 200 for the benefit of the poor.
Dissatisfaction existing as to the ad-
ministration of the older charities a
scheme was prepared in 1877, and a new
one was made in 1897, under which the
charities are administered by the same
body of trustees, who have greater liberty
in the application of the income, which
now amounts to ,114 a year.
m Thomas Molyneux gave 20 and
James Rainford ,10 for the benefit
of the poor ; the money was devoted to
building the school, and 30.1. a year was in
1828 paid out of the rates and given to
the poor in sums of fid. to each, a ' use-
less mode of distribution.' Similarly 5,
arising from ,100 given by James Kitts,
was distributed in sums of is. each.
William Worthington's gift of ^10 had
been lost. Molyneux's and Rainford's
benefactions have since 1829 been lost,
and Kitts' is applied improperly to the
benefit of the schools.
The Rev. Joshua Paley in 1849 left
,1,000 for the endowment of the church,
but the greater part was lost in 1886 by
the bankruptcy of a solicitor ; ,200 re-
mains, the interest of which is applied to
the schools, and a ground rent of
jg i6i. zd. applied to the choir. Pem-
berton also shares in the Algernon Eger-
ton Memorial Fund.
98 John Walmesley, by his will of 1726,
gave jioo to his son John and others to
purchase a rent-charge or estate, the in-
come to be spent on linen for the poor.
Edward Richardson directed that for fifty
years after his death five loads of oatmeal
should be given to the poor, and this was
still in operation in 1828. Mary Collier
in 1684 left ,20, for which it was con-
jectured zos. a year had been given by
a Mrs. Anderton, though this her son re-
garded as a voluntary gift. Peter Whittle
in 1727 bequeathed 401. out of his mes-
suage in Ince ; z los. had for long been
received out of a close called Fillyhey, but
for some years before 1828 Mr. Legh's
agent had refused to pay.
In 1899 it was found that the Walmes-
ley charity had been in existence as late
as 1863. For the Whittle charity z is
still paid by Lord Newton out of Rothwell's
or the manor-house estate, and is distri-
buted by the overseers to the poor.
99 Houghton' s charity was a charge of
,5 upon an estate called Kirk Lees ; it
was in 1828 given in doles of is. each.
James Hodkinson's benefaction produced
I or. a year, given in money or calico.
In 1899 the rent-charge of ,5 out of
Kirk Lees was still paid and distributed to
the poor ; the ,10 belonging to Hodkin.
son's chanty had disappeared since 1863.
WEST DERBY HUNDRED
WIGAN
Haigh Dame Dorothy Bradshagh about 1775 erected
a building called the Receptacle, being an almshouse
for twenty poor persons ; luo there were also a poor's
stock and some minor charities, most of which have
been lost. 101 Hindley has linen or flannel charities
and one or two others. 102
For the Billinge townships the principal foun-
dation is that of John Eddleston, who in 1672
bequeathed his house and lands here for charitable
uses ; 103 there were several other benefactions. 104 At
Winstanley are two charities founded by James and
William Bankes, with incomes of about 20 and iy,
used to provide cloth and blankets. 1 " 5 In Orrell,
out of a number of gifts, about 6 a year is still dis-
tributed in doles of calico. 106 Pimbo Lane House
and other tenements in Upholland were given by
Henry Bispham in 1720 and 1728 for the benefit
of that and neighbouring townships ; 107 there are
100 The Receptacle in 1828 contained
ten dwellings, each having a sitting-room
and pantry below and a chamber above,
with a little garden attached. The town-
ships of Haigh, Wigan, Aspull, and
Blackrod were to benefit. The donor's
charitable bequest of 3,000 was void by
the Statutes of Mortmain, but the Earl
and Countess of Balcarres decided to give
effect to her charitable designs. The in-
come in 1828 was about no, of which
80 was given to the almspeople, 10 to
the chaplain, and 12 on an average to
the apothecary.
In 1899 the annual income was found
to be 139. Some of the rules as that
against the use of Bohea or green teas
are now inapplicable ; but preference is
still given to Haigh people who have
worked in the mines ; applicants must be
over fifty, and adherents of the Established
Church.
101 Ellen Kindsley charged an estate in
Whittington Lane with i a year, which
was usually distributed with other chari-
ties. Ralph Greaves in 1696 gave 20
for apprenticing children or for the poor ;
James Monk 20 in 1723 for cloth or
apprenticing; William Higham in 1729
a similar sum for linen or woollen ; and
Sir Roger and Lady Bradshagh in 1767
each gave 20 to augment the fund ; it
appears to have been lost before 1828 by
the practical bankruptcy of the person to
whom it had been lent. A poor's stock
of 68 51. existed in 1744, but no infor-
mation could be obtained in 1828. James
Grimshaw in 1822 left 40 for the poor.
For Kindsley's charity in 1899 the rent-
charge of i on Hilton Farm was found
to be paid by the Wigan Coal and Iron
Company ; the money is distributed in
doles of flannel. All the other charities
have been lost.
102 Frances Dukinfield in 1662 left
four closes in Mobberley for the minister
of Hindley Chapel, ' So as he should be
elected or approved by the trustees for the
time being, by any two or more godly
ministers, and by the greater number of
the householders and masters of families
in Hindley,' and for other charitable pur-
poses ; in 1828 4 was given for the poor
of Hindley and Abram from this source,
being 2 8x. for the former and i izs.
for the latter, and laid out in linen cloth.
Randle and Mary Collier also left 60 for
linen cloth and a further 10 ; and Ed-
ward Green and Robert Cooper 30 for
the poor ; all was in practice used for
gifts of linen.
In 1899 it was found that 7 ioj. was
paid out of land at Mobberley in respect
of the Dukinfield charity ; under a
scheme sanctioned in 1890 2 los. was
paid to the vicar of All Saints', Hindley,
i to the grammar school, i 12*. to
the trustees of the Abram United Chari-
ties, leaving 2 81. for distribution in
Hindley. The other charities have a
capital of i 51 consols, the interest being
spent on flannel, which is distributed on
New Year's Day.
Richard Mather in 1852 conveyed cer-
tain lands to trustees for the use of a
school and for bread for the poor ; but
the school has been given up, and a new
scheme was in 1899 being prepared.
Thomas Winnard in 1860 left 40 for
the benefit of the poor attending St.
Peter's, Hindley. The public park and
the library are also noticed.
los The estate consisted of a house and
about 14 acres of land, part of the Black-
leyhurst estate, on which was a quarry
called Grindlestone Delph ; it was sub-
ject to a fee-farm rent of 20*. to John
Blackburn and his heirs (to Sir William
Gerard in 1828 by purchase). The use
was for the maintenance of ' a pious and
orthodox minister" for Billinge chapel,
for the school, and the relief of the poor.
In practice the house and land were
occupied by the incumbent of the chapel,
and the profits of the quarry, let for 50
a year in 1828, to the schools and the
poor of the two townships of Billinge.
The gross income in 1899 was 98, out
of which i ground rent was paid to
Lord Gerard. The beacon on the hill
stands on this property. As the quarry is
becoming exhausted the trustees have
ceased to distribute the income from it,
but 10 a year has been given to the poor.
104 William Bankes in 1775 left 20
to each of the Billinges, and in 1828 iSs.
was paid yearly out of the estate of Mey-
rick Bankes. For Chapel End from the
same estate was paid 2 izs. a year for
bread for the poor, which was distributed
every other Sunday ; in 1786 there was a
poor's stock of 23 51., the accumulation
of numerous small gifts, producing in
1828 231. 4^. from the overseer's accounts
and expended in linen and woollen cloth ;
57 resulting from the sale of William
Birchall's estates, and supposed to have
arisen from a gift of 40 by Ok ill,
was in 1799 used to purchase a cottage,
the rent of which was also spent in linen
for the poor. The cottage in 1899 pro-
duced a net income of 4 3*. 6d., distri-
buted by the vicar in money and cloth-
ing ; and iBs. was paid to the overseers
by Mrs. Bankes of Winstanley, and dis-
tributed in doles of calico or flannel.
Nothing is now known of the other
ancient funds. Elizabeth Comber in 1 896
left 100 for the provision of coals and
food for the poor at Christmas.
For Higher End the Digmoor estate in
Upholland in 1828 produced 10 a year,
which was added to other charities and
spent in linen and cloth. The net income
is now 13 ioi. ; this is added to the
township's share of the Eddleston and
other charities, and distributed in doles of
calico.
106 The Rev. James Bankes, rector of
Bury, in 1742 gave 40 for linen cloth
for the poor; William Bankes in 1775
gave 50 j Robert Bankes in 1747,
100 ; Frances Bankes in 1764, 50 ;
Catherine Bankes in 1766, 20 ; and
there were smaller sums, the total being
402 1 01., yielding in 1828 19 iu.,
67
which was laid out in linen for the poor.
William Bankes in 1798 left 400 for
blankets ; this yielded about 19 in 1828,
and was spent according to the benefac-
tor's wishes. On account of the former
set of charities 19 8j. 6d. is now
paid by Mrs. Bankes at Winstanley : the
overseers distribute it in cloth. Wil-
liam Bankes' benefaction is represented
by 600 consols ; the income is distri-
buted in blankets, and ' it is supposed
that every cottager in the township re-
ceived a blanket every alternate year.'
106 Jane Leigh in 1707 gave 10 to
the poor, William Naylor 8, and Peter
Parr 4 ; Anne Sandford in 1746 gave
25 ; in 1828 the agent or trustee of
Sir Robert Holt Leigh and Meyrick
Bankes paid i and i 7*. as interest on
these sums. Out of the poor rates 5*.
was paid as ' Widow Naylor's Charity.'
One Holt in 1723 left land called Cross-
brook, which brought in a rent of 2 ioj.
These sums were all placed together and
distributed on St. Thomas's Day to poor
persons in sums of is. or is. 6d. James
Thomason in 1786 left 200, of which
100 had been lost ; the 5 interest on
the other half was distributed to the poor
on 25 July.
In 1899 it was found that i is paid
yearly by Mr. Roger Leigh, and i js. by
Mrs. Bankes, on account of the Leigh,
Naylor, and Parr, and Sandford gifts ;
Thomason's charity has an income of
3 175. 4</. The whole sum is given in
doles of calico. Holt's charity has failed ;
the land called Crossbrook was owned
by the late Colonel Blundell.
lu ' In 1720 he surrendered a messuage
and tenement with right of turbary on
Upholland Moss, and land called Moss
Close, to trustees for the townships of
Upholland, Orrell, Billinge, and Pember-
ton, also Rainford and Windle, the yearly
profits to be spent in apprenticing chil-
dren ; it was let for 70 a year in 1828.
Part of the income was used for repairs
and legal expenses, and the rest divided
among the townships named and used as
intended. In 1728 by his will he gave
Pimbo Lane House and another tenement
called Sefton's Estate to provide woollen
garments and oat bread for the poor of
Pemberton, Orrell, Upholland, Billinge,
Winstanley, Windle, and Eccleston. The
gross income in 1828 was 117 io. a
year, but owing to heavy expenses in
buildings only about 50 was used for the
charity, of which 20 was spent on wool-
len cloth and 30 on oatmeal loaves.
The income of the charity has greatly
increased, owing to the development of
coal mines on the lands, and now amounts
to about 250, the estate consisting of
lands and 2,120 consols, chiefly the
products of mining leases. The charity is
supposed to be regulated by a scheme
giving larger powers, authorized in 1891 ;
but no practical change has been made in
the distribution of the income, the three-
fold system of apprenticing, clothing, and
bread doles being continued .
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
here also other charities of considerable value, though
several gifts have been lost. 108 Dalton has nothing
for itself. 109
WIGAN
Wigan, 1199 ; Wygayn, 1240; Wygan, common.
Pronounced Wiggin (g hard).
The River Douglas, in its unrestricted days, flowed
down from the north and turned to the west round
the hill upon which Wigan Church stands, thence
running north-westward and northward to the
Kibble. The township of Wigan consists of the tri-
angular area inclosed by the river and a line drawn
across in a north-easterly direction from one part of the
river's course to the other ; in addition there are the
district called Scholes on the eastern side, inclosed
between the Douglas and a brook once called the
Lorington, and now the Clarington, 1 which formerly
joined it near the southernmost point of its course ;
and a small area to the south of the river. It is
curious that Wigan is cut off by the river from the
rest of the parish and hundred, and has on the north
no marked physical separation from Standish, in a
different parish and hundred. The area is 2,188
acres, including 47 of inland water. The population
in 1901 numbered 60,764.
The church stands on the crest of the hill, which
slopes away rapidly to the south and more gently to
the north. To the north-west is the hall or rectory,
with Hallgate leading to it, and beyond this again the
Mesnes part of it now a public park or rectory
demesne lands. Further away in the same direction
lie the districts known as Gidlow and Brimelow,* the
latter on the Standish boundary ; while to the west is
Woodhouses, near the river.
On the eastern side of the church is a street
representing the ancient Roman road to the north,
opening out just at that point into the irregular area
in which the market was formerly held, and from
which Market Street goes off to the north-west. As
the main road goes northward it is called in succession
Standishgate and Wigan Lane, with Mab's Cross as
dividing mark, and has Swinley and Whitley on the
west and Coppull on the east. The ground once
again rises as the northern limit is neared, attaining
about 250 ft.
The same road, descending south from the church
and turning to the west through the more level
ground running nearly parallel to the Douglas, is there
called Wallgate. The border district to the south of
Wallgate is called Poolstock.
Another road, called Millgate, begins at the old
Market-place, and proceeding south-east, crosses the
Douglas by a bridge, 3 near which was formerly the
principal corn-mill of the town, and then goes north-
east through the Scholes and Whelley. There is an
easterly branch called Hardy Butts, starting near the
river and proceeding through Hindley towards Man-
chester, probably on the line of another ancient
Roman road.
Around the church and along the main roads men-
tioned the town of Wigan grew up. As the head of
a great coal-mining district, the Douglas navigation
scheme of 1720,* and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal,
opened in 1774, have been of great service ; the Lan-
caster Canal followed in 1794, and a branch to Leigh
connected the town with the Worsley Canal. The
railway companies have also contributed to the pro-
gress of the place ; the London & North Western
Company's main line from London to Scotland passes
through the place,* having a station in Wallgate, to
the south of the church. The Lancashire and York-
shire Company's Liverpool and Bury line, opened in
1848, has a station (1860) in Wallgate, near to the
church ; the company's Wigan and Southport branch
(1855) turns off here. More recently the Great
Central Railway has found access to the town, having
a station near Millgate, opened in 1892.
Wigan is identified with the Coccium of the An-
tonine Itinerary ; it stands at the point where the
Roman road, north and south, was joined by another
important road from Manchester. Its position on a
hilltop, surrounded on two sides of its triangular area
by a rapid stream, suggests that it had been a British
fort. Various Roman remains have been found. 6
The town continued to grow and prosper through-
out the mediaeval period, and Leland thus describes
108 Henry Prescot in 1638 gave 20
for poor householders ; Richard Walthew
in 1643 gave 130; James Fairclough,
,250, and others smaller sums ; the 1829
information concerning the total sum of
446 131. 4</. was that in 1771 ,376
had been placed out on private security.
James Fairclough also gave ,100 to
establish a bread charity, and in 1828 $
a year was received from the rents of the
Moss estate, and added to the share of
Edmund Molyneux's benefaction. Thomas
Barton in 1674 gave to the poor ot Up-
holland 3 6s. 8<f. charged on an estate
there, and paid in 1828 ; Thomas
Mawdesley, by his will of 1728, devised
his copyhold lands the Little, Rushy,
and Meadow Baryards to the use of the
poor as an addition to ' Barton's dole ' ; in
1828 17 ioj. was received, and, with
the preceding gift, divided among the poor
in sums of zs. or zs. 6J. The Rev.
Thomas Holme in 1803 left ,100 for a
gift of blankets ; it wa in operation in
1828.
Of the above the Fairclough charity
has benefited by the working of mines,
and now has an income of ^40 from the
Moss estate and 124 from consols aris-
ing from the investment of mining rents ;
the money has been distributed indiscrimi-
nately in doles of bread and flannel, &c.
The rent-charge of 3 6s. 8</. on Barton
House Farm is still paid, and distributed
with Mawdesley's charity, the total vary-
ing from \6 to 23 a year; tickets
worth zs. 6d. each are given to the
selected applicants. The Holme bequest
produces 4 i6s. a year, expended on
blankets for the poor.
109 It shared in the charities of Peter
Latham (Croston), and Edmund Moly-
neux and John Gaunt (Wigan). Thomas
Ashhurst was supposed to have made a
rent-charge of 25*. to the poor, paid in
1786 by the owner of Ashhurst Hall; but
in 1828 nothing could be ascertained.
The share of the Latham charity coming
to Dalton is now ,68, and is distributed
in doles of clothing, valued at from IQJ.
to ji, and rarely in money gifts.
1 Bridgeman, Wigan Cb. (Chet. Soc.
new ser.), 239. Bottling Wood was in
the northern part of Scholes.
a Between these and Wigan town the
Birley Brook flowed south to the Douglas.
8 This is supposed to have been the
first bridge constructed over the Douglas.
68
In 1348 Henry Banastre of Walton
granted to John son of Oliver (? Amory)
the Walker, a strip of land stretching
from the Millgate and the Stanrygate to
the Douglas ; also land called the Mill
Meadow, with a cottage adjoining Schole
Bridge; Towneley MS. GG, no. 2221.
In 1477 John Crosse of Liverpool con-
firmed to John Burgess of Wigan a par-
cel of land near Schole Bridge, between
Scholes and the lane leading to Ince ;
ibid. no. 233$.
'At am' Bridge, between Wigan and
Pemberton, was the subject of a dispute
in 1334; Coram Rege R. 297, m. n
Rex. Each township should keep in re-
pair its own half of the bridge, which had,
however, become so broken that there
was no longer any crossing.
4 This scheme was formed as early as
1711 (Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. xiv, App. iv,
450) ; the Act was passed in 1720 (9
Geo. I, cap. 28). It was purchased by the
Leeds and Liverpool Canal in 1783.
5 As the Preston and Parkside (New-
ton) Railway this portion of the system
was opened in 1838.
6 Watkin, Roman Lanes. 199 ; Pal.
Note Bk. iv, 133.
WEST DERBY HUNDRED
WIGAN
its appearance about 1536 : 'Wigan paved ; as big as
Warrington and better builded. There is one parish
church amid the town. Some merchants, some artifi-
cers, some farmers.' 7
Apart from its internal growth, the history of Wigan
is interesting on account of the part taken in the Civil
War. The townspeople were Royalist, 8 and the Earl
of Derby appeared to make it his head quarters, its
central position rendering it very fit for the purpose.
He placed a garrison there, 9 but on I April 164 3, the
town was captured by the Parliamentary forces under
Colonel Holland, after only two hours' resistance.
Many prisoners were taken, and the soldiers were
allowed to plunder and carry away what they could. 10
The Earl of Derby, who was 1 2 miles away, marched
to its relief, but hearing that the town had surren-
dered, and that the Parliamentary forces had retired
after breaking down some of the defensive works, he
desisted and went to Lathom. 11 A second assault and
capture took place three weeks later. 1 * In 1648 Duke
Hamilton's forces occupied Wigan after their defeat
by Cromwell near Preston, but after plundering the
people 'almost to their skins,' retired to Warrington,
pursued by Cromwell. 13 A pestilence followed. 14
When, in August 1651, the Earl of Derby was
raising a force for Charles II, he again tried to secure
Wigan. On 26 August a hot fight took place in
Wigan Lane between his forces and those of Colonel
Lilburne. At first the former were victorious, but a
reserve of horse coming to Lilburne's assistance, put
the Royalists to flight. Lord Derby took refuge in
Wigan for a brief time, and after his wounds had been
dressed, he went south to join Charles at Worcester.
Sir Thomas Tyldesley and other notable Royalists
were killed in the battle."
The Restoration and Revolution do not appear to
have affected Wigan much. 16 Some of those con-
demned for participation in the rising of 1 7 1 5 were
executed here. 17 The Young Pretender with his
Highland army passed through the town on 28 No
vember 1745, on his way to Manchester, and again
on 10-1 1 December on his retreat northward. The
inhabitants were not molested, but no recruits joined
the force. 18
At present the whole of the district is thickly popu-
lated, the industrial town of Wigan occupying the
greater part of the township, whilst its collieries, fac-
tories, &c., fill the atmosphere with smoke. There is,
however, a fringe of open country beyond the town
itself, on the north, and here are arable and pasture
lands, the crops raised being chiefly potatoes and oats.
The soil is clayey and sandy. The woodlands of
Haigh in the adjoining township make an agreeable
background. The Douglas, turning many a factory
wheel on its way, winds erratically across the district.
The south-westerly part of the township lies very low,
and is almost always flooded, the result of frequent
subsidences of the ground.
The worthies of the town include Ralph Brooke or
Brooksmouth, York Herald in the time of Elizabeth ;"
Henry Mason, divine and benefactor, 1 573 to 1647 ; *
John Leland, nonconformist divine and apologist for
Christianity, who died 1766 ;" Anthony Wilson,
alias Henry Bromley, publisher of catalogues of En-
graved British Portraits, 1793 ; w John Fairclough, a
minor Jesuit writer, 1787 to 1832 ; 23 John Roby,
author of the romances entitled Traditions of Lancashire,
1795 to 1850;" John Howard Marsden, antiquary,
1803 to 1891 ; M John C. Prince, minor poet, 1808
to 1 866 ; * 6 and John Fitchett Marsh, antiquary, 1 8 1 8
to 1880."
A number of tokens were issued by local tradesmen
in the I7th century.* 8
The printing press is said to have been introduced
into Wigan about 1760 ; books dated in 1780 and
later years are known.* 9 There are three newspapers,
two published three times a week and the other
weekly. 80
" Itin. vii, 47.
8 * Wigan was better manned with sol-
diers than Preston, it being the next gar-
rison to the earl's house and the most
malignant town in all the county ; for
there were (for anything that was heard)
not many in it that favoured the Parlia-
ment;' Lanes. War (Chet. Soc.), 16.
Wigan, however, had joined in the Pro-
testation of 164.2 ; Pal. Note Bk. i, 8 1.
9 The Wigan garrison, ' full of desper-
ate cavaliers,' had made several assaults
upon Bolton ; Lanes. War, 32 ; Civil
War Tracts (Chet. Soc.), 63, 81-3.
19 Lanes. War, 36 ; also Stanley Papers,
(Chet. Soc.), iii, p. Ixxxvi, where a facsimile
of the Countess of Derby's letter, an-
nouncing its fall, is given. See also Civil
War Tracts, 93, 225-7.
11 Lanes. War, loc. cit.
" Civil War Tracts, 98.
18 Ibid. 263 ; ' a great and poor town,
and very malignant,' is Cromwell's descrip-
tion of the place ; see Carlyle, Cromwell
Let. i, 286, &c., for the details.
14 Civil War Tracts, 278 ; there were
' two thousand poor, who for three months
and upwards had been restrained, no relief
to be had for them in the ordinary course
of law, there being none at present (April
1649) to act as justices of the peace." The
Wigan registers contain many entries re-
ferring to the deaths from plague, the last
burial being on 23 July 1649.
A petition by the mayor and others in
1660, addressed to Charles II, states that
the people of the town had garrisoned it
at their own charge for the king ; that it
had been seven times plundered, burdened
with free quarters, &c., by the Parliament
army ; and that many estates had been se-
questered ; Cal. S.P. Dom. 1660-1, p. 119.
15 Stanley Papers (Chet. Soc.), clxxxiv-
ix. For the monument to Sir T. Tyldes-
ley near the spot where he fell, see
cccxxxiii ; Lanes, and Cbes. Hist, and
Geneal. Notes, iii, 62.
A graphic account of the battle is given
in Lanes. War, 74-6.
16 Ogilby, writing about 1 670, called it
' a well-built town, governed by a mayor,
recorder and twelve aldermen, &c., and
electing Parliament men.' It had two
markets, on Monday and Friday, but the
former was discontinued, and three fairs.
It was noted for its pit coal, ironworks,
and other manufactures. A somewhat
later description, by Dr. Kuerden, giving
many details, may be read in Local Glean.
Lanes, and Ches. i, 209, 21 1, 212, 214.
Bishop Cartwright procured an address
to James II from the mayor and corpora-
tion in 1687 ; Bridgeman, op. cit. 570.
Their action was not popular ; Hist. MSS.
Com. Rep. xiv, App. iv, 189.
Several persons went to Chester in
1687 to be touched by the king for the
evil ; their names are given in Trans.
Hist. Soc. i, 26.
17 See Lanes, and Ches. Antiq. Soc. iii,
6 9
70. James Blundell, James Finch, John
Macilliwray, William Whalley, and James
Burn, who had been tried and sentenced
at Preston, were executed at Wigan 10
Feb. 1716 ; see Pal. Note Bk. iv, 93.
18 The town was then famous for its
manufactures of coverlets, rugs, blankets,
and other sorts of bedding, brass, copper,
&c., as well as for the adjacent Cnnnel
coal mines ; Ray, Hist, of Rebellion, 154.
There is a brief notice of the place as it
appeared in 1791 in Pal. Note Bk., ii, 275,
and a description written in 1825 ' n
Baines, Lanes. Dir. ii, 610.
19 Pal. Note Bk. iii, 33.
20 Diet. Nat. Biog. M Ibid. * Ibid.
23 Gillow, Bibl. Diet, of Engl. Cath. ii,
218.
** Diet. Nat. Biog. For a note on the
Rev. James Clayton of Wigan, the inven-
tor of gas, see Local Glean. Lanes, and
Ches. i, 140, 248.
25 Diet. Nat. Biog. M Ibid. V Ibid.
28 Lanes, and Ches. Antiq. Soc. v, 93, 94.
29 See Local Glean. Lanes, and Cbes. \,
ii. The 1780 book was a translation of
Gessner's Death of Abel, printed by R.
Ferguson, ii, 57. The 'Local Catalogue'
issued from the Wigan Free Library gives
a list of nineteen books printed at Wigan
between 1780 and 1796. At the end is
a list of printers.
80 The offices of the Examiner were
formerly the Public Hall or Mechanics'
Institute.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
Coal-mining is the characteristic trade of the place,
but there are large cotton mills also ; ginghams, &c.,
are made. Forges, iron and brass foundries, wagon,
screw and nail, oil and grease works, and breweries
are also in operation. The ancient walk-mills show
that cloth was made here from early times. A gold-
smith was killed at Wigan in I34I. 31 The potters'
right to dig clay on the wastes was vindicated in
1619." ' Digging and delving mines for coals' was
common in I595- 33 Bell-founding is a lost trade ; it
was formerly in the hands of the Scott and Ashton
families. 84
In 1624 Bishop Bridgeman notified his objection to
the ' barbarous and beastly game of bear baiting ' at
the wakes ; but on the mayor's request he allowed
the baiting to take place on the market hill after the
market was over and the people had packed up their
wares."
An old Wigan nursery rhyme is printed in Har-
land and Wilkinson's Legends? 6
The stocks were formerly near the main entrance
to the churchyard from Wallgate. There was a cross
in the market place, where proclamations were made,
and the base of Mab's Cross, already mentioned, is in
Standishgate. 38 *
There was formerly a spa in Scholes. S6b
The curfew bell, anciently rung at eight o'clock,
was in 1881 rung at half-past ten. 37
A body of volunteers, called the Wigan Rifles, was
raised in 1 8c>4. 38 The present volunteer force con-
sists of five companies of the 6th battalion of the
Manchester Regiment.
In Domesday Book WIGAN is not
MANOR named ; it was only ' the church of the
manor ' of Newton, 39 and a century later
it is the church that brings it forward once more,
a resident vicar being appointed. 40 The rectors were
thus from before the Conquest until recently lords of
the manor of Wigan under the lords of Newton, and
the rectory was the hall. From the account of them
already given it will be seen that a large number were
non-resident, and exercised their authority by de-
puties.
Among the rights which gave most trouble to the
rectors were those over the mills. Rector Fleetwood
in the first year of his incumbency (1571) had insti-
tuted a suit against Hugh, Gilbert, and James Lang-
shaw to recover seisin of two ancient water-mills,
described as walk mills. 41 The dispute went on
for many years. 4 * Bishop Bridgeman, thirty years
later, complained that William Langshaw was en-
deavouring to deprive the rector of his ownership
of the mill. 43 The mills were situated at Coppull
and a little lower down the river by the school ; in
1627 they paid a rent of .4 a year to the rector. 44
The corn mills, of which in the year just named
there were five, also caused trouble. The principal
was that on the Douglas in Millgate, of which Miles
Leatherbarrow was the tenant in i6l7. 45 In Rector
Fleetwood's time a new water corn-mill was erected
by Miles Gerard of Ince upon Lorington or Clarington
Brook, the boundary of the manors of Wigan and
Ince, and the water-course was diverted to feed it.
The rectors complained of the injustice done to them,
but Dr. Bridgeman allowed the mill to stand on con-
dition that 2Os. a year should be paid for tithe. 46
In his first year Dr. Bridgeman received 1 6 1 3 s. zd.
as manor rents, 47 and los. each for seven mortuaries. 48
It is an indication that there was a
BOROUGH strong community existing around the
church to find one of the absentee
rectors, the busy official John Maunsel, procuring
from the king a charter creating a borough. This
was granted on 26 August 1246 to John Maunsel ;
the town of Wigan was to be a borough and a free
borough for ever ; the burgesses should have a gild
merchant, with a hanse and all the liberties and free
customs pertaining to such a gild ; and no one but a
member of the gild should do any business in the
borough except by consent of the burgesses. Further,
to the burgesses and their heirs the king conceded
that they should have soke, sac, toll, theam, and
attachment within the borough, infangenthef, ut-
fangenthef ; that they should throughout the country
and sea ports be free of toll, lastage, pontage, passage,
and stallage ; that they should do no suit to county
or wapentake for tenements within the borough j
also that traders, even foreigners, provided they
entered England peaceably and with the king's leave,
should be allowed to pass in safety to and from the
borough with their merchandise upon paying the
usual dues. 49
81 Assize R. 430, m. 12 d.
88 Bridgeman, Wigan Ch. 222.
88 Ibid. 161 ; see also 242.
The Industries of Wigan, by H. T. Fol-
kard, R. Betley, and C. M. Percy, published
in 1889, gives an account of the develop-
ment of coal-mining and other trades.
84 J. P. Earwaker, Trans. Hist. Soc.
(new ser.), vi, 170 ; N. and Q. (Ser. 10),
v, 257. The will of John Scott was
proved in 1648, and that of Jeffrey Scott
in 1665. William Scott occurs 1670-
1700; R. Ashton 1703-17, and Luke
Ashton 1723-50.
88 Bridgeman, op. cit. 286.
88 Op. cit. 182.
* 8a Lanes, and Ches. Antiq. Soc. xix, 228,
232.
>6b lbid. 234; quoting from England
Described, 1788. It had been ruined by
1824 ; Baines, Lanes. Dir. ii, 612.
*7 Lanes, and Cbes. Hist, and Geneal.
Notes, ii, 33.
88 Local Glean. Lanes, and Ches. ii, 182,
217. The Earl of Balcarres was colonel ;
there were eight companies, and 552 men.
V.C.H. Lanes, i, 286.
40 Farrer, Lanes. Pipe R. 436. See also
Engl. Hist. Rev, v, 395.
4)1 Bridgeman, op cit. 143. In 1316
Edmund de Standish granted to Aymory
the Fuller land adjoining a narrow lane
leading towards the Coppedhull mill ;
Crosse D. (Trans. Hist. Soc.), n. 27.
42 Bridgeman, op. cit. 144-6.
43 Ibid. 225. The defendant relied
upon the charter of John Maunsel ; he
was a burgess of Wigan, and had by
descent from his ancestors divers bur-
gages in the said borough ; and those
ancestors had enjoyed his share in the
mills as parcel of their own inheritance,
paying the accustomed rent for the same.
The rector's right to the mills, as part of
his glebe, was affirmed by a decree of June
1618 ; ibid. 227, 229.
44 Ibid. 309.
45 Ibid. 220, 231. Miles seems to have
claimed ownership. He died early in
1628, and his widow Alice begged that
either she or her son Orlando might be
admitted as tenant. The bishop told her
to take comfort, as he had never dealt
unkindly with his tenants ; but as his
70
right to this mill had been questioned he
had determined to take it into his own
hands for a time that there might be no
possibility of dispute in future. On re-
ceiving thii answer the widow refused to
give up possession, and Lord and Lady
Strange took up her cause. The bishop
promised them that the widow should
have the mill after a while ; but as she
still remained obstinate, the matter came
before the quarter sessions. It was not
till the end of March 1630 that she finally
submitted, gave up the key, and allowed
the bishop to take possession. He re-
tained it for three weeks, and then ad-
mitted her as tenant ; ibid. 3208.
46 Ibid. 240, 241. Two horse-mills
were allowed to stand, rent being paid to
the lord ; ibid. 240, 243.
4 7 Ibid. 189. 48 Ibid. 192.
49 This charter is known by its recital
in that of Edw. II ; see Bridgeman, op. cit.
9, 32. The charters are printed in Sin-
clair's Hist, of Wigan. See Chart. R.
7 Edw. II, m. 4, 3 ; 24 Edw. Ill, 145,
m. 2, 4 ; m. 3, 7. The charter of 1314
is still preserved at Wigan.
WEST DERBY HUNDRED
WIGAN
The rector's concomitant charter grants that the
burgesses of Wigan and their heirs and assigns should
have their free town, with all rights, customs, and
liberties as stated in the king's charter ; that each
burgess should have to his burgage 5 roods of land ;
that they should grind at the rector's mill to the
twentieth measure without payment, should have
from his wood sufficient for building and burning,
quittance of pannage and other easements ; and that
they should have their pleas in portmote once in
three weeks, with verdict of twelve men and amerce-
ments by the same ; paying annually to the rector
I zd. a. year for each burgage for all services. Robert
Banastre, lord of Makerfield and patron of the church,
added his confirmation ; as did also Roger, Bishop of
Lichfield. 50
The burgesses, 51 regarded as equals, thus became
the free tenants of the rector, as lord of the manor,
with the usual liberties, and the special privilege of a
portmote. The royal charter looks on the place as
a trading centre and gives internal and external
privileges accordingly ; these last, which the rector
could not give, were doubtless the reason for invoking
the king's help. A later charter, 1257-8, granted
that the rectors should have a market at their borough
of Wigan on Monday in every week, and two fairs
there of three days each, viz., on the vigil, day and
morrow of the Ascension and of All Saints. 6 *
In 1292 Adam de Walton, then rector, was called
upon to show by what warrant he claimed certain
liberties ; it was asserted that Master Adam and his
bailiffs had exceeded the terms of the charters by
trying persons accused of felonies beyond their juris-
diction, when those persons had placed themselves
on a jury of their country. In reply to particular
charges the community of the vill appeared by twelve
men of the vill. As to the court and liberty of the
vill they said that these belonged to the rector, and
they were suitors there. The jury decided that soke
and sac and other liberties had been granted to the
burgesses, who did not claim them, and not to the
rector, who did ; let them therefore be taken into
the king's hands. As to the taking of emends of the
assize of bread and beer on the market and fair days
the rector's claim was allowed ; but as he had
punished some frequent transgressors at his discretion
and not judicially, he was at the king's mercy. 53 The
liberties claimed by the rectors were afterwards re-
stored, on the application of the guardian of Robert
Banastre's heiress. 54
The commonalty of Wigan were sued for a debt
in I3O4- 55
In 1314 Robert de Clitheroe obtained from the
king a confirmation of the charter of 124.6.**
About 1328 the rector complained that the burgesses,
his tenants, every day held a market among themselves,
and with strangers, in divers goods, although these be
ill-gotten or stolen ; taking toll for such merchandise
and appropriating it to themselves. They also made
assay of bread and tasting of beer every day except
Monday, taking amercements and profits by force and
power ; all to the prejudice of the rector's market. 57
Possibly it was on this account that the charter was
confirmed in I329. 58
A further confirmation was granted in 1350;*'
with a special indemnity to the rector and the bur-
gesses for any abuse or non-claim of the liberties and
acquittances of former charters. The king also
granted a view of frankpledge, freedom from the
sheriffs tourn, cognizance by the bailiffs of the rector
of all pleas concerning lands, tenures, contracts, &c.,
within the borough ; with many similar and comple-
mentary liberties. * Moreover, whereas there has
been a frequent concourse at the said borough, as well
of merchants and others, for the sake of trading and
otherwise,' the rectors, as lords of the borough, might
for ever ' have a certain seal, by us to be ordained, of
two pieces, as is of custom to be used, for recognisances
of debts there according to the form of the statutes
published for merchants ; and that the greater part of
the seal aforesaid may remain in the custody of the
mayor or keeper of the borough aforesaid for the time
being, or other private person of the greater or more
discreet men of the borough to be chosen for this
purpose (with the assent of the rector) if there shall
not be a mayor or keeper there.' M
As a result of this charter suits by Wigan people
were frequently stopped in the assize court by the
bailiffs of the rector appearing to claim the case as one
for the local court. 61 Another result was prob-
ably the regular election of a mayor, the language of
the charter implying that the burgesses had not
hitherto had such a generally recognized head. There
are numerous instances of * statutes merchant ' before
60 Bridgeman, op. cit. 9, 10. Not
many years later William de Occleshaw
granted to Simon son of Payn de War-
rington and Emma his wife a burgage
and an acre of land in Wigan, rendering
to the rector of Wigan \2d. yearly, and
to the grantor a peppercorn. In 1284
Simon Payn, son of the said Simon (son
of) Payn, claimed the land; Assize R.
1268, m. II. Simon Payn and Amabil
his wife were engaged in suits in 1292 ;
Assize R. 408, m. jjA. 60. Simon Payn
of Wigan obtained a house and land here
in 1336; Final Cone. (Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Ches.), ii, 101.
61 There does not seem to be any means
of ascertaining the number of burgages.
The earliest poll-book, 1627, shows that
there were then about a hundred in-bur-
gesses, but does not state their qualifica-
tions ; Sinclair, Wigan, i, 197.
52 Bridgeman, op. cit. 33. A charter
for a fair at All Saints and a market on
Monday had been secured in 1245 ; Cal.
Chart. R. 1226-57, p. 284. In 1314 the
All Saints' fair was changed to the vigil,
day, and morrow of St. Wilfrid the
Bishop; Chart. R. 7 Edw. II, m. 4, 4 d. ;
but in 1329 reverted to the old day;
ibid. 3 Edw. Ill, m. 6, 14. The autumn
fair was afterwards held on the vigil,
feast, and morrow of St. Luke ; Wm.
Smith, Descr. of Engl. 1588 ; Hist. MSS.
Com. Rep. xiv, App. iv, 4.
68 Bridgeman, op. cit. 31-6, from Plac.
de Quo War. (Rec. Com.), 371, 372. The
rector stated that he did not claim utfan-
genthef, though named in the charter.
64 Bridgeman, op. cit. 37. There exists
a petition by the people of Wigan for the
restoration of their franchises made after
the death of Edmund, Earl of Lancaster,
1296 ; Anct. Petitions, P.R.O. 316,
E 225.
65 De Banco R. 151, m. 112. In 1307
there were complaints that Welshmen,
returning probably from the Scottish wars,
had been maltreated and killed at Wigan;
Assize R. 422, m. 4 d.
66 Bridgeman, op. cit. 41.
71
V Ibid. 44.
48 Ibid. 45. The king granted a tax
called pavage (for the mending of the
ways) to the men of Wigan in 1341, Cal.
Pat. 1340-43, p. 163 ; see also p. 313.
89 Bridgeman, 48-53. In the same
year is mentioned the smaller seal for the
recognizances of debts ; Cal. Pat. 1348-
5> P- 553-
60 At the instance of Rector Jame de
Langton the borough charters were con-
firmed by Richard II, Henry IV, and
Henry V at the commencement of their
reigns in 1378, 1400, and 1413 ; Bridge-
man, op. cit. 57, 59.
61 Thus in 1350, when Richard de
Mitton claimed in the King's Bench a
messuage in the town from William del
Cross, who had entry by Robert son of
John del Cross, the rector's bailiffs
appeared, made a statement of the
jurisdictions conferred by the charter and
drew the case to the local court ; De
Banco R. 363, m. 203. In subsequent
years the same thing happened.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
the mayor of Wigan commencing about i37O. 6t
From a petition of Rector Wyot (1506-19) it
appears that, ' for a long time past,' the custom had
been that on a vacancy in the mayoralty the bur-
gesses elected three of their number and presented
them to the rector, who chose one to act for the
ensuing year. 63
The rectors in the time of Henry VIII, and
probably much earlier, exercised their authority as
lords of the borough through a steward and a
bailiff, with an under-steward who was clerk of the
court. 6 *
About 1560 Bishop Stanley began to assert his
rights as lord of the manor, and he challenged the
claim to hold markets, 60 fairs, and courts leet put for-
ward and exercised by the mayor and burgesses. Those
accused of withdrawing ' did not know ' whether suit
was due to the rector's law-day or leet, or to his three
weeks court, though 'most of them had done so,
until now of late ' ; and they endeavoured to draw
attention from this aspect of the question by an
allegation of outrage upon the mayor by one of the
bishop's servants. Nothing seems to have been done,
except that the bishop confirmed Maunsel's charter
to the burgesses. 66 He yielded ' upon fear and for a
fine of money received,' according to Dr. Bridge-
man. 67
Under Rector Fleetwood the struggle was more
determined. The corporation about 1583 laid claim
to the lordship of the manor, as lords improving the
wastes and commons, and letting the houses built
thereupon ; also digging for coal within the demesnes
of the manor, and in many other ways usurping the
rector's rights. They stated that a mayor, two
bailiffs, and sundry burgesses were annually elected for
the town and borough of Wigan, which had also five
aldermen, the Earl of Derby being one ; that
Maunsel's charter gave the burgesses all the liberties
in dispute ; and that the moot-hall was their in-
heritance. They had kept courts, taken waifs and
strays, &c., in accordance with their right. The
rector's reply traversed all this, alleging in particular
that the burgesses had no grant enabling them to
elect a mayor to be head of the corporation, though
they had done so ' for divers years ' by usurpation,
and that the appointment of aldermen was a recent
usage, * without due rite.' 68 A charter was granted
about this time, viz. in I585. 69
A decree in the nature of a compromise was made
in 1596 by the Chancellor of the Duchy. It was
ordered that the corporation should keep such courts
as they had usually kept, except the leets, and take
the profits to their own uses ; that, as to the leets,
the rector should appoint a steward to sit with the
mayor and burgesses or their steward and take half
the profits. Clay and stone might be dug as cus-
tomary, but the ways must be mended as quickly as
possible, and any damage done to the moat round the
rectory must be repaired. As to the fairs and markets
and the profits arising from them, the corporation
should have them as before, but the rector's tenants
must not be required to pay any increase upon the
customary tolls. The rents claimed by the rector
must be paid, with arrears. The question as to the
improvement of the wastes does not seem to have
been decided. 70
The corporation were then left at peace for twenty
years. Dr. Massie seems to have been very yielding. 71
Bishop Bridgeman, however, an able man and strong
in the royal favour, upon being appointed to the
rectory made a vigorous and fairly successful effort to
recover certain of his manorial rights as against the
corporation. 71 The ownership of the markets and
fairs, with the tolls belonging to them, had been held
by the town for upwards of fifty years. On 1 7 Octo-
ber 1617, being the eve of the fair, the rector sent
his man to the mayor, entreating him not to deal or
meddle with the fair until the controversy as to all
these matters had been decided, and inviting the
mayor and aldermen, &c., to meet him at the pentice
chamber next morning. At this conference the rector
desired them to allow him the rights his predecessors
had enjoyed, without any lawsuits ; they answered
that he had what his predecessors had, and ought not
to ask more. The mayor was bold enough to
challenge the rector's right to the manor, but met no
support from the burgesses, who acknowledged their
obligation to pay \zd. for each burgage plot. On
matters of land-ownership no opposition was made ;
but when the rector claimed the fairs, markets, courts
leet, courts of pleas, and courts baron and other
privileges, the burgesses' reply seems to have been
firm and unanimous : ' They had a right to them and
hoped so to prove in law.' No compromise was
possible, the answer being that they were ' all sworn
to maintain the privileges of the town.' n
A special tribunal was appointed, and at the begin-
ning of 1619 a decision was given : the rector was
lord of the manor, with a right to the wastes and
court baron and suit and service of the freeholders
and inhabitants ; the moot-hall to be common to the
rector and corporation for the keeping of their courts,
of which the pentice plea and court of pleas should
be the corporation's, the leets at Easter and Michael-
mas being adjudged, the former to the rector and the
latter to the corporation ; the Ascension-day fair and
62 Early in 1406 Adam de Birkhead,
mayor of Wigan, and William de Mede-
wall, clerk, for taking recognizances of
debts at Wigan, certified that in March,
x 37 2 -3 s " William de Atherton came
before Thomas de Heywood, then mayor,
and Thomas Clerk, then clerk, and
acknowledged that he owed his brother,
Nicholas de Atherton, 100 sterling ;
which he ought to have paid at the
Christmas next following, but had not
done so ; Pal. of Lane. Chan. Misc. bdle.
i, file 9, in. 38.
68 Bridgeman, op. cit. 72.
64 Ibid. 101. Sir Thomas Langton,
who, as lord of Newton, was chief lord
of the manor, about this time laboured
hard to secure appointment as the rector's
steward, and though rejected he took it
upon himself to act, making himself very
obnoxious to the corporation. In 1539
the mayor and burgesses complained that
whereas it had been their custom to elect
a mayor on the Saturday after Michael-
mas Day, Sir Thomas with a number of
associates had disturbed the election, and
declared that he would not take Adam
Bankes for mayor, though he had
been duly chosen. A few weeks after-
wards there was an invasion of the town
by the Langton faction, which necessitated
an inquiry by the Crown. It then
appeared that the disturbers asserted the
election of mayor to belong to the rector
of Wigan or his steward ; ibid. 108-11.
65 A book of tolls 1561-7 is among
72
Lord Kenyon's deeds ; Hist. MSS. Com.
Rep. xiv, App. iv, 4.
66 Bridgeman, op. cit. 133-8.
7 Ibid. 213.
68 Ibid. 147-57.
69 A contemporary paper copy is extant
at Wigan. In Pal. of Lane. Plea R.
253, m. 26, are copies of the earlier
charters.
7 Bridgeman, op. cit. 157, 158.
7 1 Ibid. 213. Dr. Bridgeman affirmed
that 'none of his predecessors, except
Dr. Massie, were without the use and
possession of all those things which he
claimed ; or did at least claim and sue
for them as Mr. Fleetwood did.' Dr.
Massie was rector from 1605 to 1615.
7* Ibid. 205. ~ Ibid. 213-15.
WEST DERBY HUNDRED
the Monday market to be the rector's, but St. Luke's
fair and the Friday market to be the corporation's."
In October 1620 the mayor of Wigan appeared
in the moot-hall where the justices were sitting at
quarter-sessions, and, ' putting on his hat before
them,' claimed the ordering of the alehouses in Wigan,
as belonging to his leet. The justices objected to his
manners, and as he refused to find sureties for good
behaviour sent him to prison ; but their action was
annulled, though the mayor's action for false im-
prisonment also failed."
Bishop Bridgeman in 1622 claimed the pentice
chamber in the moot-hall as built upon his waste
within living memory, and appears to have succeeded. 76
His next correction of the assumptions of the corpora-
tion was provoked by the latter ; they refused liberty
to one William Brown to sell his goods, on the ground
that he was not a burgess. The bishop pointed out
that they had no right to elect burgesses ; the true
burgesses were those who paid the lord of the manor
1 zd. rent for a burgage, and he had made William
Brown a burgess by selling to him a burgage house
recently bought of Thomas Gerard of Ince. The
mayor and burgesses were by this time convinced that
it was useless to contend with their lord ; they made
no demur, and asked him to appoint his son Orlando
as one of their aldermen ; he, however, did not judge
it well to do so."
From this time, 1624, till after the Restoration
there appears to be no record of any dispute between
rector and corporation. It can scarcely be doubted
that the Commonwealth period would be favourable
to the latter, and when in 1662 Sir Orlando Bridge-
man was selected as arbitrator in a fresh misunder-
standing, he ruled that though the rector was lord of
the manor and must keep a court baron, yet in view
of the municipal court of pleas it was of little im-
portance except for inquiring into the chief rents due
to the rector, and preventing encroachments on the
waste. Hence the court baron was to be held once
in two years only, in the moot-hall ; no pleas were to
be held between party and party ; and the mayor and
such aldermen as had been mayors should be exempt
from attending. The streets and wastes were to be
regulated as to encroachments by the rector and
mayor. Sir Orlando's father had, by his advice,
leased the rector's Ascensiontide fair and weekly
market to the corporation ; and the arbitrator recom-
WIGAN
mended the continuance of this system as 'a great
means to continue peace and goodwill ' between the
parties, a lease, renewable, for 2 1 years being granted
at a rent of five marks a year. The lease included
tha yearly fair, weekly market, and court leet, and all
tolls, courts, piccage, stallages, profits, commodities,
and emoluments belonging to them. 78
Forty years ago the corporation purchased the
manorial rights, an agreement being made 9 July
1860 between the rector and patron on the one side,
and the mayor, aldermen, and burgesses on the other.
The rights transferred were the summer fair, the
Monday market, and various tolls ; quit rents and
manorial rights in slips of waste lying uninclosed
adjoining streets in the borough and in mines under
these slips ; rights in Bottling Wood and the wastes ;
and the ancient quit rents amounting to 45 3/. \d.
The price paid was 2,800. The conveyance was
signed by the rector on 2 September i86i. 79
The charter of 1662, under which the borough was
governed down to the Municipal Corporations Act of
1835, confirmed to the mayor, bailiffs, and burgesses
of Wigan all their ancient liberties, and ordained that
the corporation should consist of a mayor and eleven
other aldermen, a recorder, two bailiffs, and a common
clerk. The mayor was to be not only a magistrate
for the borough, but also for the county, but this pri-
vilege was not maintained. 80 A supplementary charter
was granted by James II in i685, 81 providing in par-
ticular that eighteen burgesses might be chosen to act
as 'assistants,' so that there should be a common
council of thirty-two in all. The mayor was to be
chosen yearly ' on the Sabbath day next after the
feast of St. Michael.' The corporation, like others of
the time, was a close or self-electing one, the towns-
men being able to make their wishes known only
through the jury and court leet. The mayor was
coroner ex official
The election of burgesses was in the jury and court
leet. The corporation had the power of admitting
non-resident and honorary burgesses to vote at elec-
tions without limitation ; in 1802 they made a hun-
dred burgesses in order to rid themselves of the Duke
of Portland's ' patronage.' 83
Under the Act of 1835 Wigan was classed with
other boroughs having a commission of the peace ; it
was divided into five wards, to each of which were as-
signed two aldermen and six councillors. 84 In 1888 it
7* Bridgeman, op. cit. 221, 222. The
bishop, accordingly, as rector, held his first
court leet and court baron for the manor
of Wigan just after Easter 1619, and at
Ascension-tide his first fair. The matter
was of great importance as preserving the
lord's rights, but the profits of the courts
were barely sufficient to pay the fees of
the officers ; ibid. 237.
The following year he discharged one
William Brown from his service because
though no burgess he had served in the
mayor's court, ' as they call it," upon the
jury. He did so because in former times
the corporation had claimed the courts as
their own on finding that servants of the
rector had sued or served in them ; ibid.
270, 271.
7 5 Ibid. 265, 266.
~ 6 Ibid. 268, 274. On Christmas-eve
in the same year, ' and properly no market
day,' he prohibited the Serjeants and
bailiffs of the town from receiving toll,
' because the wastes and streets are the
parson's* ; and the jury were instructed
to find that the town officers hal wronged
the lord of the manor by receiving such
tolls on the Saturday before the wake day.
The jury demurred to the contention that
the streets were part of the wastes, but
gave way, and the tolls collected that day
were given to the rector ; ibid. 274.
77 Bridgeman, op. cit. 287. The dispute
marks another step in the growth of the
rights of the community ; first was the
election of mayor ; next, the appointment
of aldermen ; and thirdly, the co-option
of burgesses. The last was important,
because the burgage plots had a tendency
to become the possession of a very few
persons.
7 8 Bridgeman, op. cit. 486-91. See also
Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. xiv, App. iv, 441,
for a declaration in this sense by the cor-
poration in 1708.
In 1743 Dr. Roger Bridgeman refused
to renew the lease, and a lawsuit followed
which lasted for many years ; ' the result
73
appears to have been that the fair and
markets remained in the rectors' hands,
but the courts leet were never afterwards
held by them' 5 Bridgeman, op. cit. 632.
7 9 Bridgeman, op. cit. 664-71. A list of
the quit rents is given. They range from
4</. up to 6 141. 8J., this sum being paid
by the Canal Company. A considerable
number were of the exact u., probably re-
presenting ancient burgage rents.
80 Pat. 14 Chas. II, pt. xviii, m. 5.
The charter specially mentions the loyalty
of the town to the late king ; it therefore
allowed a sword to be borne before the
mayor.
81 The charters of 1662 and 1685 are
in the possession of the corporation.
82 Baines, Lanes. Dir. ii, 616.
83 Ibid, ii, 607.
84 The wards were : All Saints, the
central portion of the town around the
church ; St. George's, a narrow strip along
the Douglas ; Scholes ; Queen Street, in
the south ; and Swinley, in the north.
10
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
became a county borough, and in the following year
a rearrangement of the wards was authorized ; the
borough was divided into ten wards, each with one
alderman and three councillors, the membership of
the council being thus unchanged in number. 85 The
inclusion of Pemberton in 1904 has caused the in-
crease of the council to fifty-six members, chosen from
fourteen wards.
The old town hall, rebuilt in 1720 at the expense
of the members for the borough, stood at the western
side of the market-place. It was pulled down and
rebuilt in the first half of last century. It stood on
pillars, the space underneath being subsequently filled
with shops. The moot-hall, a stone building in
Wallgate, with meeting-room above and shops below,
was demolished in 1869, and 'the new town hall' in
1882, the present town hall and borough courts
having been finished in 1867. Anew council cham-
ber was opened in 1890. The county police courts
date from 1888. The Fish-stones, which were at the
northern side of the market place, were removed in
1866. The new market hall was opened in 1877;
there is a separate fish market. The ancient cloth
hall was superseded by a commercial hall in the
market-place, erected in 1 8 1 6.
The Public Libraries Act was adopted in 1876,
and two years later there was opened the new free
library building, presented to the town by Thomas
Taylor, who died in 1892. A Powell Boys' Reading-
room, presented by the member for the borough, was
added in 1895. A school board was created in 1872.
The mining college was founded in 1858 ; in 1903
the present mining and technical building was opened.
The corporation have acquired or inaugurated a
number of works and institutions for the health and
convenience of the people. The first Wigan Water
Act was passed in 1764 ; the waterworks were pur-
chased by the corporation in 1855 ; the gasworks,
established in 1822, were acquired in 1875 ; and the
tramways, opened in 1880, in 1902. An electric-
power station was erected in 1 900, and the following
year the corporation electric tramways started run-
ning. The Mesnes Park was opened in 1878, the
sewerage works in 1881, public baths in 1882, and a
sanatorium in 1889. Victoria Hall was built in
1902. The cemetery was established in 1856.
A dispensary was started in 1798, and a building
in King Street provided in 1801, now the Savings
Bank. The Royal Albert Edward Infirmary was
opened by the King, then Prince of Wales, in 1873.
A court of quarter-sessions was granted to the
borough in 1886.
Impressions of the borough seal of the I5th century
are known. 86 The device upon it the moot-hall
is used as a coat of arms for the borough.
As a borough Wigan sent two burgesses to the
Parliaments of 1295 and 1306, but not again until
1547. From this year the borough regularly returned
two members until 1885, except during the Common-
wealth, when owing to its royalist tendencies it was
disfranchised by Cromwell. 87 In the I7th century
the burgesses were of two classes in and out ; the
latter were principally neighbouring gentry, and do
not seem to have availed themselves to any great extent
of the privilege of voting. On the other hand a large
number of the townsmen made strenuous efforts to
obtain a vote, and in 1639 the mayor, bailiffs, and
burgesses prepared a memorial to Parliament on the
subject. This stated that they were ' an ancient cor-
poration by prescription, and that all such persons as
are or have been burgesses of that corporation have
always been received into that corporation by election
made by the burgesses for the time present of that
corporation, and have been afterwards sworn and en-
rolled as burgesses in the burgess roll,' and that from
time immemorial only such enrolled burgesses had
voted for the burgesses who served in the Parliament ;
but at the recent election, after the choice had been
made but apparently before a formal declaration
' divers inferior persons, labourers, and handicrafts-
men, being free only to trade within the said town
and not enrolled burgesses,' demanded voices. The
mayor and bailiffs had replied asking them ' to make
it to appear that they or any others of their condition
had any time formerly any voices in election of the
burgesses for the Parliament ' ; they could not prove
anything of the sort, and so their votes were not
allowed ; but the mayor and bailiffs, at the instance of
the elected burgesses, judged it right to inform the
Parliament concerning the matter. 88 By the Redistri-
bution Act of 1885 Wigan was allowed but one
member instead of two as previously.
A number of families come into prominence from
time to time in the records. One of the early ones
took a surname from Wigan itself, 89 another from
Scholes. 90 Other surnames were Jew, 91 Botling, 98
88 The central ward is called All Saints;
to the north is Swinley ward, and to the
west of both St. Andrew's ward. The
small but populous district in the south
has three wards, Victoria and St. Thomas,
on the west and east, being divided by
Wallgate ; and Poolstock, to the south of
the Douglas. Scholes has four wards :
St. Qeorge and St. Patrick the inner-
most, divided by the street called Scholes ;
and Lindsay and St. Catherine outside,
divided by Whelley.
88 Lanes, and Ches. Hist, and Cental.
Notes, iii, 100 ; an impression of it occurs
among the De Trafford deeds.
87 Pink and Beaven, Parl. Rep. of Lanes.
217, where an account of the members
will be found.
88 Sinclair, Wigan, i, 222.
89 In 1292 in various suits appear
Quenilda widow of Nigel de Wigan,
Thurstan de Wigan, Henry son of Hugh
de Wigan, and others ; Assize R. 408,
m. 54 d, 97, &c.
About 1 290 Roger son of Orm de Wigan
was defendant ; De Banco R. 167, m.
8d. In 1307 Maud widow of Adam son
of Orm de Wigan claimed dower in Wigan
lands from Adam son of Roger son of
Orm; De Banco R. 162, m. 258 d.;
Assize R. 421, m. 4. Lands of Richard
son of Adam son of Orm are mentioned
in 1310; Crosse D. (Trans. Hist. Soc.),
no. 19.
Margery widow of Roger de Wigan
(son of William son of Hugh de Wigan)
in 1331 claimed certain lands as her
inheritance. A deed granting portion of
them to her brother John atte Cross was
produced, but she denied it to be hers ;
De Banco R. 287, m. 106.
90 In 1291 and 1292 Richardson of
Adam de Scholes claimed various tene-
ments in Wigan ; his legitimacy was
denied, but he appears to have recovered
possession ; Assize R. 407, m. i ; 408,
m. 3.
91 Alice widow of Thomas the Jew,
74
and Alice wife of Robert the Jew, occur
in local suits in 1350 ; Assize R. 1444,
m. 4, 7.
Robert son of Richard de Ince in 1352
granted land in the Scholes, adjoining
John de Longshaw's land, to Hugh son
of Henry the Jew ; Towneley MS. GG,
no. 2618.
In 1383 William de Whittington re-
leased to William the Jew, chaplain, his
claim to the land called Jewsneld near
Whelley Cross; Add. MS. 32106, no.
1351. William the Jew was a trustee in
1417; Crosse D. (Trans. Hist. Sot.), no.
126.
92 William Botling was a burgess about
1 300. Richard Botling made a feoffment
of his estate in 1333 ; Crosse D. no. 6,
44.
John son of William Botling of Wigan
claimed three messuages, &c., from
Richard Botling and others in 1344 ;
Assize R. 1435, m. 45 d.
Birkhead, 93 Duxbury, 94 Pres-
ton, 95 Ford, 96 and Scott. 97 The
Crosse family, afterwards of
Liverpool and Chorley, were
long closely connected with
98 This family held a good posi-
tion in the town, and furnished
several of the mayors. There is a
quaint note concerning the Bilk-
heads in Leland's Itinerary, vi, 14 ;
he suggests a relationship with the
Windermere Birkheads or Birketts.
In 1308-9 John de Birkhead, son
of Ralph, granted a burgage to Richard
del Stanistreet ; Kuerden MSS. ii, fol. 253.
John de Birkhead attested various local
charters down to 1324; Adam de Birk-
head others from 1377 to 1417 ; in the
last-named year his son and grandson,
Henry and John, also attested ; Crosse D.
nos. 41, 72, 1 26. John Birkhead was living
in 1434 ; Townelcy MS. OO, no. 1301.
In 1471 Richard was son and heir of
Henry Birkhead ; ibid. no. 148. John
Birkhead appears in 1504 ; ibid. no. 165.
In 1338 Hugh son of Robert de Birk-
head claimed from Richard de Birkhead,
litster, various tenements in Wigan, but
did not prosecute his claim ; Assize R.
1425, m. 2. Thurstan de Birkhead and
John his brother were defendants in
1356 ; Duchy of Lane. Assize R. 5, m.
26 ; and Matthew son of Thurstan de
Birkhead, in 1376 ; De Banco R. 461, m.
276 d. Adam de Birkhead and Joan his
wife were plaintiffs in 1374 ; De Banco
R. 456, m. 10 d. ; 460, m. 364. Euphe-
mia daughter of William son of Richard
de Birkhead, litster or tinctor, demanded
in 1357 20 acres in Wigan from Sir
Robert de Langton, Robert his son and
others ; Pal. of Lane. Misc. 1-8, m. 3, 4,
5 ; Duchy of Lane. Assize R. 6, m. 3.
The younger Robert defended, saying the
land had been granted to himself and
Margaret his wife and their issue.
An undated petition, addressed to the
Archbishop of Canterbury, as Chancellor,
complained that John Birkhead, feoffee of
Richard Birkhead, had refused to make over
an estate in the latter's land to William
Marsh, the cousin and heir ; Early Chan.
Proc. 16-528.
Richard Birkhead, who died in or before
1512, held land in Rivington and a
burgage in Wigan ; Joan, his sister and
heir, was four years of age ; Duchy of
Lane. Inq. p.m. iv, no. 26. A later
inquisition shows that they were the
children of Hugh, son of Richard, son of
Henry ' Birkenhead ' of Wigan. The last-
named Henry, who had another son John,
had granted nine burgages in Wigan and
other lands there, held of the rector by a
rent of 431. 4</., to feoffees who had granted
five burgages to Maud, the widow of
Richard Birkhead for her life, and four
burgages to Elizabeth, widow of Hugh
Birkhead, who died 16 Jan. 1510-11, ibid,
v, no. 23. Joan, the heiress, married
Thomas, son and heir of Thomas
Tyldesley of Ward ley ; Vitit. of 1567
(Chet. Soc.), 44.
94 Thomas de Duxbury was mayor of
Wigan in 1402-3 ; he or another of the
name was outlawed in 1420 ; Crosse D.
(Trans. Hist. Soc.), no. 95, 127. John de
Duxbury also occurs ; ibid. no. 116, 130.
9d In 1277 Maud widow of Orm de
Wigan claimed burgages and land in
Wigan against William son of William de
Preston, and Eleanor his wife and others ;
De Banco R. 21, m. 62 d. About the same
WIGAN
Wigan : Adam del Crosse 98 appears in 1277, his son
John in the first half of the I4th century. 99 John's
son Thurstan 10 was followed by Hugh del Crosse his
son, 101 after whose death the property went to Richard
del Crosse of Wigan and Liverpool. He may have
CROSSE. Quarterly
gulet and or a cross po-
tent argent in the Jirst
and fourth quarters.
time Adam del
Crosse obtained
from the same Wil-
liam and Eleanor
a messuage and 14
acres of land in
Wigan ; Final Cone.
(Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Ches.), i, 153.
From one of the Crosse D. (no. 19),
dated 1310, it appears that Eleanor de
Preston was a daughter of Nicholas de
Wigan, clerk ; this charter concerns land
in Henhurst Meadow, Hitchfield, Lorri-
mer's Acre, Loamy Half acre, Hengande
Half-acre, &c. ; the Stonygate is men-
tioned.
Adam Russell of Preston had land here
in 1307; De Banco R. 163, m. 214 d.
For Henry Russell see Lanes. Inq. and
Extents (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.),
i, 275.
96 There were two families of this name,
of Swinley and of Scholes ; see Bridge-
man, Wigan Ch. 259. They supplied
many mayors. In Oct. 1864 representa-
tives of James Horrocks of Spennymoor,
claiming to be the heir of Robert Ford
who died in 1772, took possession of the
4 Manor House ' in Scholes and were be-
sieged for some days, to the excitement of
the town.
7 4 Roger Scott's land ' is mentioned
in 1323 ; Towneley MS. GG, no. 2561.
Roger ton of Roger Scott of Wigan in
1 345 complained that Robert del Mouri-
hilles had been wasting lands 'held by
the law of England* ; De Banco R. 345,
m. 95 d. Further particulars of the family
will be found in the account of Pember-
ton.
98 About seven hundred of the family
deeds are contained in Towneley's MS.
GG (Add. MS. 32107), no. 2196-905.
Some of these and others are printed in
the Trans. Hist. Soc. (new ser.), v-ix,
Crosse D. no. 1-224.
The first of the family of whom any
particulars can be stated is the Adam del
Crosse, 1277, mentioned in a preceding
note. Two grants to him are known,
one being of land in Holywell Carr; Crosse
D. no. 7; Towneley's GG, no. 2535. To
his daughter Ellen he gave land in the
Rye Field and Holywell Carr ; Crosse D.
no. 13. She was living in 1292 ; Assize
R. 408, m. 32 d. Adam del Crosse was
also living in 1292 ; ibid. m. 32. The
Adam son of Richard del Crosse of 1311
(Crosse D. no. 20), was probably a different
person. The de Cruce of Latin deeds also
appears as ' de la Croyz,' 4 atte Crosse,'
and 'del Crosse.' The family seems to
have come from Lathom ; Crosse D. no. 5.
In 1277 Richard, rector of Wigan, had
a dispute with William del Crosse as to
whether the latter's toft belonged to the
church of Wigan or to a lay fee ; De
Banco R. 18, m. 54.
99 John son of Adam del Crosse was
defendant, with others, in a plea of mort
d'ancestor in 1295 ; Assize R. 1306, m.
20 d. Later he had various disputes with
Alan son of Waltsr the Fuller, husband
of his sister Ellen. As early as 1299 he
released all his right in the lands his
father had given Ellen on her marriage,
and in 1315 a final agreement was made ;
75
Towneley MS. GG, no. 2638, 2435 ;
Crosse D. no. 14, 23. He was a de-
fendant in 1292 in two Wigan cases,
Henry de Leigh being one plaintiff, and
Hugh son of William the reeve the
other ; Assize R. 408, m. 54, 76.
In 1304 he had a grant of land in the
Strindes in the islands of Wigan, on the
east side of the high road from Wigan to
Out-town Bridge ; Crosse D. no. 14*. In
1324-5 he granted to his son Thurstan
on the latter's marriage the burgage upon
which his capital messuage was built ;
another burgage which he had received
from his sister Margery; the Greater Hey
called the Eiclyves, and other lands ;
with remainders to the grantor's son
William, and to his daughter Maud, wife
of Henry Banastre ; ibid. n. 36. In
1329, by fine, Henry Banastre of Walton
secured from John del Crosse four messu-
ages and lands in Wigan ; Thurstan son
of John and the rector of Wigan putting
in their claims ; Final Cone, ii, 73.
About the same time Robert de
Clitheroe the rector called on John del
Crosse to render an account for the time
he was the rector's bailiff" in Wigan, viz.
from Michaelmas 1313 till the end of
August 1316, during which time the
profits of three mills, markets, and fairs
amounted to ,160 ; and from September
1316 to 4 April 1324, during which
time the issues of the church as in
corn, hay, beasts, great tithes, small tithes,
oblations, obventions, and other profits,
amounted he said to ,1,500. The money
receipts during the same period amounted
to 335 I1J - 7^- At the trial John did
not appear, but the jury decided against
him and he was committed to the Fleet
Prison ; De Banco R. 279, m. 61. In the
following year the rector sought to make
it clear that four messuages and lands
held by John del Crosse and Thurstan
his son were free alms of the church of
Wigan and not their lay fee ; De Banco
R. 283, m. 147. John seems to have
died about this time, and Thurstan only
is named in the following year ; ibid. R.
285, m. 15 d.
100 Thurstan del Crosse and Emma his
wife were plaintiffs in a Wigan dispute in
1334; Coi am Rege R. 297, m. 6.
Thurstan appears as witness to charters
from 1346 to 1367 ; Towneley MS. GG,
no. 2753, 2423. He was defendant in a
suit of 1355 ; Duchy of Lane. Assize R.
4, m. 6.
101 Hugh son of Thurstan del Crosse
made sundry grants in 1370, charging an
annual rent of i mark on his Wigan lands
in favour of William son of Adam de
Liverpool, who seems then to have
married Katherine widow of John son of
Aymory ; Towneley MS. GG, no. 2269,
2896. In 1382 he made a feoffment of
his lands in Wigan and Leigh ; Crosse D.
no. 75 ; and in 1386 he was mayor of
the town ; ibid. no. 80. He appears to
have died about 1392. Katherine his
widow, afterwards wife of Thomas de
Hough, in 1403 granted to trustees the
lands she had had from her late husband ;
Towneley MS. GG, no. 2343. In 1395
the feoffees of Hugh del Crosse gave lands
received from him to his son Henry, with
remainders to his widow Katherine (for
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
been a descendant of Aymory the Walker, who appears
to have been a Crosse also. 101 The Marklands were
prominent up to the beginning of the 1 8th century. 103
A number of deeds concerning the Marsh family have
been preserved by Kuerden. 104 Other surnames were
derived from various trades carried on here. 105 In
few cases can any connected account be given of
them.
By an inquisition taken in 1323 it was found that
one William de Marclan had held two messuages and
two acres of land and half an acre of meadow in
Wigan of the rector by the service of I ^d. yearly, and
other lands in Shevington of Margaret Banastre. He
granted them to feoffees, who in turn granted a moiety
to Robert de Holand. The last-named at Christmas
1317 assigned an annual rent of zgs. 6d. out of his
life) ; to Imayne daughter of Hugh and
Katherine ; to William and to Gilbert,
brothers of Hugh ; ibid. GG, no. 2356.
These are not heard of again.
From all this it appears that Katherine,
vrho was a daughter of Adam son of
Matthew de Kenyon (Crosse D. no. 56),
was four times married : (i) to John son
of Aymory, about 1366 ; (2) to William,
on of Adam de Liverpool, who died in
1383 (ibid. no. 77); (3) to Hugh del
Crosse, who died about 1392 ; and (4) to
Thomas de Hough, of Thornton Hough
in Wirral, who died in 1409 ; see Ormerod,
Chei. (ed. Helsby), ii, 549, 550 (from p.
576 it appears that Thomas had a pre-
vious wife, also named Katherine). She
had issue by the three earlier marriages.
She was itill living in 1417 ; Crosse D.
no. 126. The pedigree recorded in 1567
Visit. (Chet. Soc. 107) gives her yet
another husband, William de Houghton,
the first of all ; but this may be an
error.
102 Adam del Crosse, who heads the
pedigree, had another son William, who
may have been the William del Crosse
already mentioned in 1277. In 1292
William son of William the Tailor of
Wigan claimed a tenement from William
*on of Adam del Crosse on a plea of mort
d'ancestor ; Assize R. 408, m. 46 d.
This William married Emma daughter
of Thomas de Ince. The widow in 1316
released to John del Crosse all her right
in her husband's lands in Ormskirk ;
Towneley MS. GG, no. 2384.
There seems, however, to have been
another of the name, for in 1331 Isolda
widow of William de Cros complained
that she had been deprived of 401. rent
from a messuage and 60 acres in Wigan ;
Assize R. 1404, m. 18 d.
In 1329 Aymory the Walker, son of
William del Crosse, granted to feoffees all
his lands in Wigan ; these were regranted
forty years later, with remainders to
William, John, Henry, and Thurstan,
sons of Aymory ; Towneley MS. GG,
no. 2513, 2556.
An Aymory the Walker appears as
early as 1309, when William the Frere
granted him half a burgage next to the
half-burgage he already held ; ibid. GG,
no. 2588. In 1316 he had a grant from
Richard de Ince ; ibid. GG, no. 2654.
In 1 345 Lora widow of Robert de Leyland
granted to Aymory the Walker land called
the Souracre ( ' Sowrykarr ' ) in Wigan ;
ibid. GG, no. 2544 ; and in the same
year he is named in De Banco R. 344, m.
432-
Before 1 347 John son of Aymory had
acquired land near Standishgate from Adam
son of John Dickson, whose divorced wife
in that year released all claim to it ;
Towneley MS. GG, no. 2568. A little
later he purchased land in Liverpool from
Adam son of Richard de Liverpool ; ibid.
GG, no. 2576. In 1347 William son of
Aymory granted to Thomas son of Henry
Fairwood a toft lying in the Wirchinbank;
ibid. GG, no. 2604. In July 1359 Wil-
liam son of Aymory the Walker and
Isobel his wife were non-suited in a
claim against Agnes, widow of Aymory ;
Duchy of Lane. Assize R. 7, m. 3 d.
William had a son Aymory, who about
1380 made a feoffment of his lands in
Wigan; ibid. GG, no. 2567, 2534. In
1388 Aymory the Walker leased the
Priestsacre in Botlingfield to Richard de
Longshaw ; Crosse D. no. 96.
John son of the elder Aymory in or
about 1366 married the above-named
Katherine daughter of Adam de Kenyon ;
Crosse D. no. 56 ; see also Towneley MS.
GG, no. 2550. He died in 1369, leaving
three sons by her, Richard, Nicholas, and
Thurstan; Crosse D. no. 66. In 1377
Robert de Picton, cousin and heir of
Robert Barret of Liverpool, released to
William son of Adam de Liverpool,
Katherine his wife, and Richard son of
John Aymoryson of Wigan, all actions ;
Towneley MS. GG, no. 2713.
It is uncertain whether the Richard
del Crosse who followed Hugh was the
latter's son or the Richard son of John
Aymoryson and Katherine born about
1367. The latter is the statement in the
Visit, of 1567, and has probabilities in its
favour. The charters state Richard
del Crosse to have been the son of
Katherine, but do not name his father,
and he is not named in the remainders to
Hugh's feofFment of 1395. Richard del
Crosse first occurs in the charters in
1400-1 (when, if he were son of Hugh,
he could not have been of full age) ;
Towneley MS. GG, no. 2526 ; Crosse D.
no. 96. On the other hand, in a writ
excusing him from serving on juries,
dated 1445, he is said to be over sixty
years of age, while Richard the son of
John and Katherine would have been
nearly eighty years of age ; Towneley
MS. GG, no. 2286. In 1423-4 Richard
Aymory son of Henry Aymoryson (i.e.
son of Aymory son of William) released
to his ' cousin ' Richard del Crosse all his
right in land which had belonged to
Aymory the Walker, son of William, son
of Aymory de Wigan ; Towneley MS.
GG, no. 2511.
Richard del Crosse prospered. He was
receiver for Lady Lovell (ibid. GG, no.
2199) ; and acquired lands in Liverpool
and Chorley at the beginning of the I5th
century. Settling in the former town he
and his successors had little further direct
connexion with Wigan. A schedule of
lands in Wigan included in the marriage
settlement of John Crosse and Alice
Moore in 1566 is printed in Crosse D.
no. 224. Some of these were sold in
1591 and later years ; Pal. of Lane. Feet
of F. bdle. 53, m. 13, &c. For a com-
plaint by John Crosse regarding trespass
on his lands at Wigan see Local Glean.
Lanes, and Ches. ii, 203.
108 A pedigree was recorded at the Vltlt.
of 1664 (Chet. Soc.), 193. A descendant
acquired Foxholes in Rochdale by marriage
with an Entwisle heiress ; Fishwick,
Rochdale, 411. The surname is derived
from Markland in Pemberton. Adam
son of Richard de Marklan(d) attested
a charter dated about 1280; Matthew
and Henry one in 1323 ; Crosse D. no.
3 34-
John and Matthew Markland occur in
the time of Richard II, and John son of
Matthew Markland in 1413 ; Kuerden
MSS. ii, fol. 253. John Markland of
Wigan, mercer, occurs in 1443 and 1445 ;
Pal. of Lane. Plea R. 5, m. I ; 7, m. 2,
6 d. Alexander son of Matthew Mark-
land was one of the receivers of the per-
secuted priests in 1586 ; Bridgeman,
Wigan Ch. 166, quoting Harl. MS. 360.
Ralph Markland, as a landowner, contri-
buted to the subsidy in 1628 ; Norris D.
(B.M.).
Captain Gerard Markland had served
in a regiment of horse raised for the
Parliament, but disbanded in 1648, after
which he applied for arrears of pay. He
may be the alderman Gerard Markland
who left ^5 to the poor of Wigan ; Cal.
of Com. for Compounding, i, 173 ; Bridge-
man, Wigan Ch. 716. A short letter of
his is printed in Hist. MSS. Com. Rep.
xiv, App. iv, 62.
104 Kuerden MSS. ii, fol. 253. Grants
of land were made to Roger del Marsh by
Richard son of Adam son of Orm de
Wigan and by Adam son of Roger son
of Orm de Wigan in 1322 and 1336. In
1323-4 John son of Robert del Marsh
granted his inheritance to John del Marsh
and Roger his brother.
John son of Roger del Marsh gave
land in Scholefield to Robert de Lai-
thwaite and Anabel his wife.
In 1398-9 Adam del Marsh received
from the feoffees the lands he had granted
them with remainders to Roger his son
by his first wife ; this seems to have been
upon the occasion of his later marriage
with Joan, daughter of Hugh de Win-
stanley.
Deeds of the time of Hen. VI show
the succession ; Roger s. William, who
married Isabel s. Robert, whose wife
was Margaret.
In the time of Hen. VIII the lands of
this family appear to have been sold to
Thomas Hesketh.
105 T^ following occur in the I4th
and 1 5th centuries : -Baxter, Bowwright,
Carpenter, Ironmonger, Litster, Lorimer,
Potter, Skinner, Tanner, Teinturer,
Walker, and Wright.
Three minor families occur in the Visi-
tations. The Rigbys of Wigan and Peel
in Little Hulton recorded a pedigree in
1613 ; Visit. (Chet. Soc.), 65. In 1664
Colonel William Daniell of Wigan re-
corded a pedigree ; Dugdale, Visit. (Chet.
Soc.), 95. Also the Pennington family ;
ibid. 232. David de Pennington and
Margery his wife occur in pleas of 1374 ;
De Banco R. 455, m. 424d. ; 457, m.
341. Margery afterwards married Richard
del Ford, and in 1384 a settlement by
fine was made between them and John
de Swinley and Alice his wife concerning
the latter's inheritance ; Pal. of Lane.
Feet of F. bdle. 2, m. 27.
For the Baldwins of Wigan see Pal.
Note Bit. i, 54.
WEST DERBY HUNDRED
WIGAN
share to Aline the recluse of Wigan for her mainten-
ance. This payment ceased when Sir Robert's lands
were forfeited ; whereupon the recluse petitioned for
its restoration, and inquiry was made. 10 * 3
William Ford and the widows of James Houghton
and Nicholas Standish contributed to a subsidy of
Mary's reign as landowners. 106 The following were
returned as freeholders in 1600 : Gilbert Barrow,
Peter Marsh, Oliver Markland, William Foster, Ham-
let Green, Charles Leigh, William Burgess, Edward
Challenor, John Tarleton, Gilbert Bank, Ralph Mark-
land of Meadows ; Thomas Molyneux and E Iward
Laithwaite of Wigan Woodhouses ; Alexander Ford
of Swinley, William and Hugh Langshaw, and
William Bankes of Scholes. 107 William Ford contri-
buted to the subsidy of 1628 as a landowner. 108
Wigan people generally were royalists, but William
Pilkington was in 1650 singled out as a 'grand
delinquent ' ; he escaped with a fine of 29 5/. 109
Minor offenders against the Parliament were Robert
Baron, William Brown, and William Tempest. 110
The following ' papists ' registered estates at Wigan
in 1717 : Nicholas Mather of Abram, Richard
Tootell, Thomas Naylor of Orrell, Gilbert Thornton,
Thomas Scott, gent., John Thornton, Dr. Thomas
Worthington, and Anne Laithwaite of Berwick. 111
The parish church has been described above. The
first additional church in the township in connexion
with the Establishment was St. George's, between
Standishgate and the Douglas, consecrated in 1781.
A district was assigned to it in 1843, and this became
a parish in 1864, on the resignation of Sir Henry
Gunning, rector, as did the two following : 11J St.
Catherine's, Scholes, consecrated in 1841, had a
separate district assigned in 1843."* There is a small
graveyard attached. St. Thomas's, consecrated in
1851, had in the following year a district assigned
to it. 114 The rector of Wigan is patron of the above
churches. St. James's, Poolstock, was consecrated in
1866, for a district formed in 1863. The patronage
is vested in Mr. J. C. Eckersley. 114 St. Andrew's,
Woodhouse Lane, consecrated in 1882, had a district
assigned to it in 1 87 1. 116 The church of St. Michael
and All Angels, Swinley, was consecrated in 1878
as a chapel of ease to the parish church, and became
parochial in i88i. 117 The patronage of these two
churches is vested in the rector of Wigan.
The various bodies of Methodists have in all eight
churches and mission-rooms, the Wesleyans having
two, the Primitive Methodists three, the Indepen-
dents two, and the United Free Church one. The
Wesleyans have also built the Queen's Hall, a large
structure opened in 1908.
A Particular or Calvinistic Baptist congregation
was formed in 1795 by seceders from the Countess of
Huntingdon's Connexion (St. Paul's) ; 118 the chapel
in King Street was opened in 1854. There is
another chapel in Platt Lane.
What provision was made by those who became
Nonconformists by the Act of 1662 does not appear.
In 1689 William Laithwaite's barn was certified as a
meeting-place of the Wigan Dissenters, 119 and two
years later Roger Kenyon knew of two meeting-places,
one held by Mr. Green, the supporter of Presby-
terianism in Hindley, and the other by ' dissenters who
do furiously dissent from each other.' m An ' old
English Presbyterian congregation ' is mentioned in
1773, and a little later William Davenport, also
minister at Hindley, was in charge. He was pro-
bably a Unitarian, but after his death the chapel was
about 1 797 secured for the Scottish Presbyterians, who
have retained possession to the present time. Trinity
Presbyterian Church was built upon the old site in
l8 77 . m
The Congregationalists formed a church about
1777, probably as a protest against the Unitarianism
taught at the existing chapel ; in 1785 they opened
a chapel, now St. Paul's Congregational Church.
For some time it belonged to the Countess of
Huntingdon's Connexion. Becoming ' unhealthy '
in 1839, it was dissolved and reformed. 1 " A new
Gothic church replaced the old building in 1902.
A new minister coming to Wigan in 1812 drew a
congregation from dissatisfied Nonconformists, and a
chapel was opened in 1818. Hope Congregational
Church, opened in 1889, is a short distance from this
older chapel, and continues its work. m Silverwell
Congregational chapel originated in a secession from
St. Paul's in 1867 and continued till 1888, when it
was bought by the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincoln-
shire Railway Company. 1 * 4 There is a chapel in
Gidlow Lane.
The Welsh Presbyterians have a place of worship ;
the Christian Brethren have two ; and the Catholic
105a Inq. a.q.d. 17 Edw. II, no. 137;
Anct. Petitions, P.R.O. 150-7470.
106 Mascy of Rixton D.
W Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.),
i, 239-43. Richard Molyneux of Wigan
Woodhouses was trustee for lands in
Orrell in 1522 ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F.
bdle. n, m. 192. Thomas Molyneux
was buried at Wigan, 18 Nov. 1611.
John Molyneux of the same place fol-
lowed ; Lanes. Inq. f>.tn. (Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Ches.), i, 279. In the same work
(ii, 1 54) is the inquisition taken after the
death of John Lowe of Aspull, who died
in 1619, holding lands in Wigan.
108 Norris D. (B.M.).
109 Cal. of Com, for Compounding, iii,
2175. 'It was by his aid that the Earl
of Derby got into Wigan ; he helped in
its defence, assisted Prince Rupert with
hay and money, and told the Earl of
Derby that all the Wiganers would go
with the Prince to York or Liverpool
and turn out the Roundheads ; and when
ethers refused, he went himself.' He
had an estate of great value, which he had
gone to London to underrate.
110 Ibid, iv, 2913 ; iii, 1804, 2011.
111 Engl, Catb. Nonjurors, 97, 124, 125,
136, 144. At the time of the Oates Plot
Dr. Worthington of Wigan and his son
Thomas fled into Yorkshire for fear of
an indictment; Lydiate Hall, 125, 126.
'Old Dr. Worthington ' in 1682 entreated
Roger Kenyon to withdraw the warrant
out against him ; Hist. MSS. Com. Rep.
xiv, App. iv, 1 39 ; Dr. Thomas Worthing-
ton was with other suspected persons im-
prisoned in 1689 ; ibid. 314.
112 Bridgeman, op. cit. 783 ; Land. Gats.
I Aug. 1843 ; 28 July 1863. Under an
Act obtained in 1904, St. George's will
be removed to the east side of the Douglas.
The Rev. Benjamin Powell, incumbent
from 1821 to 1860, was the father of
Sir Francis Sharp Powell, bart., M.P. for
Wigan from 1885 to the present.
118 Bridgeman, op. cit. 786 ; Lond. Gas.
i Aug. 1843; 14 June 1 864; I4jan.i868.
There is a mission church in Whelley.
77
114 Bridgeman, op. cit. 788 ; Lond. Gax.
24 Feb. 1852 ; 14 June 1864 ; 19 May
1876.
116 Bridgeman, op. cit. 788 ; Lond. Gaz.
i May 18635 2 * J ulv J ^ 6 3 > 5 Au S'
1870. There are two Eckersley memo-
rial brasses in the church. There is a
licensed chapel at Worsley Mesnes.
116 Bridgeman, op. cit. 789 ; Lond. Gam.
28 Mar. 1871 ; 28 Apr. 1871 ; 13 Apr.
1883. The incumbent, the Rev. W. A.
Wickham, has given assistance to the
editors.
U 7 Bridgeman, op. cit. 790 ; Lond. Gea.
5 Apr. 1881 ; 15 June 1883.
118 Nightingale, Lanes. Nonconformity,
iv, 84. For notice of the congregation
in 1798 see Rippon, Bapt. Reg. iii, 21.
119 Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. xiv, App.
iv, 232.
120 Ibid. 270.
121 Nightingale, op. cit. iv, 67.
" Ibid, iv, 74.
128 Ibid, iv, 84.
124 Ibid, iv, 88.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
Apostolic Church has a meeting-room. There are
two unsectarian mission-rooms.
The Swedenborgians have a meeting-place called
New Jerusalem.
Something has already been recorded of the loyalty
of a large number of the people of Wigan to the
ancient faith at the Reformation. 115 In 1681 there
were ninety-one ' convicted recusants ' in Wigan, and
an attempt to levy a fine for recusancy a result of
the Protestant agitation of the time led to a riot. 1 -' 6
The Jesuits were in charge of the mission. In the
time of James II they had a flourishing school and
well-frequented chapel, but at the Revolution the
excited mob destroyed the buildings and the work
was stopped for a short time. 127 The Society of
Jesus, however, still possesses the ancient property.
Fr. James Canell is known to have been there in
1696, and died at Wigan 1722. Fr. Charles
Brockholes built a house about i 740, the upper room
being designed as a chapel. 1 * 9 Near this a chapel
was built in 1785, and enlargement being necessary
it was replaced by the present church of St. John
in 1819. It is still served by the Jesuits. 130 The
other churches, served by secular clergy, are St. Mary's,
Standishgate, built in 1818 ; 130a St. Patrick's, Scholes,
founded in 1847 and rebuilt in 1880 ; St. Joseph's,
1870 ; and the Sacred Heart, Springfield, 1903. A
convent of Sisters of Notre Dame is served from
St. John's. 1 "
The grammar school was founded before 1596.
PEMBERTON
Pemberton, 1212.
Pemberton is cut off from Wigan on the north-east
by the River Douglas, and from Ince on the east by
another brook running into that stream. Through
the township runs eastward the brook dividing Orrell
from Winstanley. Going north from this brook on
the eastern side are found Hindley Hall, Worsley
Hall, Newtown, Laithwaite House, Marsh Green,
Walthew House, and Markland l ; and on the
western side Tunstead, and Lamberhead Green,
Norley, Kit Green, and Orrell City. To the south,
on the eastern side lie Smithy Brook, Worsley
Mesnes, Goose Green, Hawkley, 8 and Wheatlees. The
lowest ground is that in the Douglas valley ; the
surface rises to the south-west, where a height of
125 E.g. in the account of Rector Fleet-
wood. In 1580 the sons of Ford of
Swinley and Marklard were being edu-
cated beyond the seas, * where they were
accustomed and nourished in papistry ' ;
Gibson, Lydiatc Hal!, 218, 226, 240.
For Alexander Markland see Foley, Rec.
Sac. Jesus, vi, 14.7; Douay Diaries, 12,
321, &c. For James Ford, ibid. 12,
202, &c.
In 1583 the Bishop of Chester described
the ' papists ' about Preston, Wigan, and
Prescot, as ' most obstinate and con-
temptuous,' and desired the Privjr Council
to arrange ' to deal severely and roundly '
with them ; ibid. 222 (from S.P. Dom.
Eliz. clxiii, 84).
The story told by John Laithwaite,
born at Wigan in 1585, gives a picture
from the other side. He was the son of
Henry Laithwaite by his wife Jane Bolton,
and he and three brothers became Jesuits
and two of them laboured in England.
He stated, on entering the English college
at Rome in 1603, 'I made my rudiments
at Blackrod under a Protestant school-
master, with two of my brothers ; but
being a Catholic, our parents removed us
and we received instruction at home from
a Catholic neighbour for about half a year.
At length it was arranged for our attend-
ing schools at Wigan until we were older,
and that I did for four years or more.
My father's family is descended from the
Laithwaites, a wealthy family of the
middle class.
' For his faithful adherence to the
Catholic religion my father was driven
away by the Protestants, and compelled
to abandon all his property and posses-
sions, and seek an asylum in another
county, until at length, by favour of
Henry Earl of Derby, he was reinstated
in his property, but rather in the con-
dition of a serf, totally dependent upon
the pleasure and ambition of the earl,
who had the power of committing or dis-
charging him at will. He was thus
enabled to live quietly and securely at
home, protected by the earl from the in-
sults of the heretics, for the space of two
fears ; after which, at the earl's pleasure,
he was thrown into Lancaster Gaol, but
was liberated after two months, on ac-
count of corporal infirmity, and returning
home with health completely broken, he
died a fortnight after.
' My mother, who is descended from
the ancient stock of the Boltons, per-
severing in the Catholic faith, about three
years after my father's death suffered the
loss of her whole property ; but death
at length released her from all her tri-
bulations.' A Joan Laithwaite, widow,
of Pemberton, was 'a recusant and in-
dicted thereof in 1590 ; Lydiate Hall,
247.
' I have five brothers, of whom the
eldest, upon my mother's death, yielding
to the solicitations and threats of many
and the dread of the loss of his property,
unhappily lapsed into heresy. . . . My
second brother is a Catholic, and (as I
hear) is a priest in Spain. My third
brother is now a Protestant. In the first
or second year after my mother's death
he was seized by the pursuivants who are
employed to hunt down the Catholics,
and was taken before the Bishop of
Chester, who endeavoured both by threats
and blandishments to entice him to
heresy, but in vain, for he preferred
torture and death itself to abandoning
his religion. But it seems his words
were widely different from his actions,
for having been discharged from custody,
being under age, he was afterwards se-
duced by a certain intimate friend and,
now, though utterly ignorant, yet he is
obstinate, and as he declares, acts by the
inspiration of the Spirit. My fourth and
fifth brothers were always brought up
Catholics ; the younger of them is now in
grammar at Douay. I have two sisters,
both Catholics ; one married, one still a
child. I was always a Catholic.' Foley,
Rec. Soc. Jesus, iv, 641, 642. The stories
of the other brothers fop. cit.) are full of
interest.
The Recusant Roll of 1641 shows but
few names in Wigan township ; Tram.
Hist. Soc. (new ser.), xiv, 239.
128 Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. xiv, App. iv,
128, 132. The bailiffs made a distress
on the goods of Anne, widow of Richard
Pennington, for a fine of 100. A great
disturbance ensued ; the bailiffs were kept
imprisoned in the house for an hour and
78
a half, and on venturing into the street
were set upon by ' some hundreds,' and
the distress rescued, the men hardly
escaping with their lives.
12 7 Foley, op. cit. v, 319. 'Some of
the fathers resided there and taught
several classes, numbering more than a
hundred scholars. . . . There were con-
stant sermons, which the mayor, or chief
magistrate of the town, and his suite were
accustomed to attend. . . . The Society
had very large chapels in other places,
which were much better attended than
the neighbouring Protestant churches.'
These sentences are from the Annual
Letters of 1685, &c. In 1687 Bishop
Leyburn confirmed 1,331 persons.
Dr. Kuerden passing through Wigan
about 1695, after crossing the Mill
Bridge from Scholes, saw ' without the
bars, a fair built house lately styled a
college, with officers of learning belong-
ing to it, but since violently pulled down,
and the ruins thereof yet remaining, but
neither Romanist master nor scholars are
left.' Thence by the bars he passed into
Millgate ; Local Glean. Lanes, and Cbes.
i, 214.
128 Foley, op. cit. v, 405. His stipend
in 1701 amounted to ^"31 4?., of which
^10 came from the people ; ibid. 321.
129 Ibid, v, 406. His income in 1750
was 47 101., of which 18 came from
his family and 6 IQS. from the congre-
gation ; sixty general confessions were
made (for the Jubilee), and the ' cus-
tomers ' or attendants numbered 300.
Bishop Matthew Gibson confirmed 230
in 1784, when there were 660 Easter
communions ; in 1793 the numbers were
285 and 300 respectively. The return
made to the Bishop of Chester in 1767
shows an increase of 'papists' from 594
in 1717 to 1,194 in the main portion
of the parish, apart from the chapel-
ries ; Trans. Hist. Sec. (new ten), xviii,
215.
180 Liverpool Catb. Ann. 1901.
isoa p or t}j e controversy about it see
Gillow, Bibl. Diet, of Engl. Catb. iv, 270.
181 Liverpool Cath. Ann. 1901.
1 Ancient spellings : Marclane, 1276 j
Marghlands, xvi cent.
2 Or Hawcliff.
WEST DERBY HUNDRED
WIGAN
245 ft. is attained. The area is 2,894 acres. 3 The
population in 1901 was 21,664, including Goose
Green, Highfield, Little Lane, and other hamlets.
The whole district is unpicturesque, bare and open,
occupied for the most part by collieries, mine shafts,
and pit banks. There are, however, fields where
some crops are raised, potatoes and oats surviving the
smoke of the environs. Pastures are scattered about
also. The soil is clay and loam, over Coal Measures
and stone.
There are several important roads. That from
Ormskirk to Wigan enters the township at Lamber-
head Green and passes through Newtown, where it is
joined by the road from St. Helens through Billinge,
and by that from Warrington to Wigan, through
Goose Green. This last road has a branch to Wigan
through Worsley Mesnes. The principal railway is
the Lancashire and Yorkshire Company's line from
Liverpool to Wigan, which has a station called
Pemberton ; a loop line, avoiding Wigan, goes east
to join the Wigan and Bolton line. The same
company's Wigan and Southport railway crosses the
northern corner of the township. There are minor
lines for the service of the collieries.
The Local Government Act of 1858 was adopted
by the township in 1872.* The board was changed
to an urban district council of fifteen members by the
Act of 1894. It has now been dissolved and the
township added to the borough of Wigan, with four
wards each returning three councillors and having an
alderman.
A hospital was erected in 1886 by the local board.
A public park was given by Colonel B. H. Blundell
in 1903 ; and a Carnegie library has been opened.
Coal-mining is the principal industry. There are
stone qurrries. boiler works, iron foundry, cotton
mill, and brick-making. The soil is loam and clay,
with subsoil of clay, stone, and coal ; potatoes and
oats are grown, and there is some pasturage.
The pedestal and portion of a cross exist at Goose
Green. 5
There was formerly a burning well at Hawkley. 6
At Lamberhead Green in 1775 was born William
Atherton, a Wesleyan divine, president of the Con-
ference in 1846. He died in i85o. 7
Before the Conquest, as afterwards,
M4NOR PEMBERTON seems to have formed one
of the berewicks or members of the manor
of Newton. 8 It is so regarded in the inquisitions. 9
During the 1 2th century it was held in thegnage by
a certain Alan, 10 whose son Alan, settling at Windle,
was known as Alan de Windle. At the Survey of
1 212 the latter was holding Pemberton, assessed
as two plough-lands, by the
rent of 2Os. and the service
of finding a judge for the
court of Newton. 11 Like other
Windle properties this mesne
lordship may have descended
to the Burnhulls" and Ger-
ards 1S ; no record of it occurs
in their inquisitions, but Sir
Thomas Gerard, who died in
1621, held certain lands in
the township 'of the lords of
Pemberton.' " It seems, how-
ever, to have been alienated
to the Walton family, 15 and
so to have descended with Northlegh or NORLET
to Legh of Lyme. 16
The first Alan de Pemberton had created a sub-
ordinate manor for a younger son, known as Adam de
Pemberton. 17 He in 1212 was holding it of Alan de
Windie, and had granted out a quarter of it to
Henry son of Lawrence, who in turn had granted an
oxgang, i.e. a quarter of his share, to Alan son of
Aldith. 18 Adam de Pemberton made grants to the
Hospitallers 19 and to Cockersand Abbey. 10 He was
PEMBERTON. Argent
a chrvercn btfwtcn thret
buckets iablt with hoops
and handles or.
8 2,895, including 15 acres of inland
water ; CensuD of 1901.
* Land. Gaz. 20 Aug. 1872.
Lanes, and Cbes. Antij. Soc. xiv, 235.
6 Baines, Lanes, (cd. 1836), iii, 563,
quoting Bowen's Geog. Roger Lowe re-
cords that on i June 1665 he went to
*ee the burning well at Pemberton, ' and
we had two eggs which was so done by
no material fire ' ; Local Glean. Lanes,
and Cbes. i, 1 80.
7 Diet. Nat. Biog.
V.C.H. Lanes, i, 286.
9 See for example Lanes. Inq. p.m.
{Chet. Soc.), i, 138; ibid. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches. ), i, 105.
10 In the Pipe Roll of 1200-1 the
sheriff rendered account of 10 marks from
Alan son of Alan for having seisin of the
land of Pemberton and for his relief;
also for a writ of right against Nicholas le
Boteler, formerly deputy sheriff, concern-
ing 40$. already paid ; Farrer, Lanes. Pipe
R. 132, 141.
In 1202 Edusa, widow of Alan de
Windle, claimed dower in Pemberton
from Alan on of Alan ; Final Cone.
(Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 37.
11 Inq. and Extents (Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Ches.), i, 75.
18 See the case cited below.
18 In the inquisition made in 1447
after the death of Sir Peter Gerard it was
found that he had held messuages, lands,
and tenements, rents, and services in
Pemberton, but the jurors did not know
of whom they were held ; Towneley
MS. DD, no. 1465.
14 Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Ches.), ii, 300.
15 Alan de Windle granted to Master
Adam de Walton the homage of Adam
son of William de Pemberton, and this
being transferred to Adam de Walton,
lord of Walton le Dale, was by him
granted to Thurstan de Northlegh in
1316 ; Raines MSS. (Chet. Lib.), xxxviii,
509. In 1292 Adam de Pemberton was
nonsuited in a claim against Adam de
Northlegh ; Assize R. 408, m. 43. In
1305 Adam de Pemberton claimed est-
overs as against Thurstan de Northlegh
and Maud, the widow of Adam de North-
legh, and his claim was allowed ; Abbrev.
Plac. (Rec. Com.), 258*. Adam de Pem-
berton acknowledged that Thurstan and
Maud had a right to housebote and
haybote without view of the forester, but
they had cut down their wood beyond
due measure, 93 oaks having been re-
moved ; Coram Rege R. 184, m. 53. By
a fine of 1321 7 messuages, 2 oxgangs
and 37 acres of land and 5 acres of
meadow in Pemberton were settled upon
Thurstan de Northlegh and Margery his
wife ; Final Cone, ii, 40 ; see also ii, 3 3,
43. Margery, widow of Thurstan de
Northlegh, occurs in 1346 ; Assize R.
1435, m. 31.
18 Robert de Legh of Adlington and
79
William de Radcliffe of Smithills married
respectively Maud and Katherine, daugh-
ters and co-heirs of Thurstan de North-
legh in Pemberton, by his wife Margery,
daughter and heir of John de Walton ;
Ormerod, Cbes. (ed. Helsby), iii, 66 1 ;
Lanes. Inq p.m. (Chet. Soc.), ii, 35 ;
Raines MSS. (Chet. Lib.), xxxviii, 256-9.
In 1448 Robert Cantsfield of Pember-
ton, holding of Peter dc Legh, had a
dispute with John Pemberton 5 Pal. of
Lane. Plea R. 12, m. 2, 14.
In the inquisition (1528) after the
death of Sir Piers Legh his lands in
Pemberton were said to be held directly
of Thomas Langton ; Duchy of Lane.
Inq. p.m. vi, no. 63. In right of Norley
the Leghs of Lyme had a chapel in
Wigan Church, which was given up to
the rector in 1682; Bridgeman, Wigan
Ch. 694.
V Lanes. Inq. and Extents, i, 75. That
Adam was son of the elder Alan appears
from the Burnhull case cited below.
18 Ibid. It is probable that one of
these grants is represented by Tunstead.
19 Ibid. 76. No grant in Pemberton is
mentioned in the list of the Hospitallers'
lands in 1292 in the Plac.de Quo War. or
in the rental of 1 540.
20 Cockersand Chart. (Chet. Soc.), ii,
668-71. He gave land called Ashbern
ridding, within bound* starting at the
Douglas and going up Whittle Brook to
Flax ridding ; across the carr to the syke
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
still living in i 246." His descendant William died
about 1292," leaving a son Adam, 13 who in 1331
made a settlement of the manor, his son William,
who had married Eleanor, being the heir.* 4
In or before 1362 William died, leaving Eleanor
a widow," with six children. Thurstan, the heir,
was a minor, and his wardship was in 1367 claimed
by Robert de Legh and William son of Robert de
Radcliffe, in right of their wives. 1 * Thurstan died
soon afterwards and his five sisters were his heirs.
One of these died young ; the other four each had a
share, and it is easy to trace the descent of two : that
of Emma, who married Robert de Hindley of
Aspull ; * 7 and of Katherine, who married Alexander
de Worsley. 18 The family of Molyneux of Rainhill
had Hawkley in Pemberton, and in 1578 acquired a
fourth part of the manor. 29 As late as 141 5, how-
ever, the lord of the manor was said to be Henry de
Pemberton. 30
But few particulars can be given of the descent of
the various portions of the manor. HINDLET HALL
became the property of Meyrick Bankes of Winstanley,
and is held by his trustees. 31 The Worsleys of
JTORSLET MESNES " were succeeded by the Downes
between Stephen's assart and the charcoal-
man's assart, and by the syke to the
Douglas. He also granted an assart
which Randle de Pemberton had held,
and another called White's cross. Henry
son of Lawrence released his share of
these lands to the canons.
The abbot shortly afterwards (before
1235) gave them to William son of
Richard White of Wigan, who had
married Hawise, daughter of Adam de
Pemberton, at a yearly rent of ^^d. ;
ibid. 671. About 1268 John the Smith
held these lands by the same rent and a
payment of a mark at the death of wife
or heir ; ibid. 668. For the inquisitions
after the death of Edmund the Smith of
Pemberton in 1408,866 Lanct. Inq. p.m.
(Chet. Soc.), i, 92.
31 Assize R. 404, m. 9. Adam de
Pemberton sued Peter de Burnhull for
200 acres in Pemberton, of which Alan,
the plaintiff's father, was seised in the
time of Henry II, i.e. before July 1189.
The decision was committed to the hazard
of a due), and Adam's man Philip being
defeated, Peter de Burnhull was allowed
to hold the land in peace. The sureties
for Philip were Alan de Windle, William
and James de Pemberton, and John del
Marsh. See also Assize R. 454* m - 2 5-
At the same time Adam de Pemberton
was summoned to answer Robert son of
Hugh, who complained that the lord of
Newton compelled him to do service to
the three-weeks court at Newton, which
Adam as mesne tenant should perform.
Robert's tenement was 1 7 acres, for which
he paid a rent of jd. ; Assize R. 404,
m. 12.
Adam and William his son, together
with James de Pemberton, were charged
with having disseised William White,
John del Marsh, and Adam his brother of
their common of pasture in Pemberton ;
ibid. m. 2. Peter de Burnhull also
claimed 6 acres in Ince from Adam de
Pemberton, William his son, and James
son of Henry; ibid. m. I2d. The last
may be the James de Pemberton of the
preceding case ; then the father may be
the Henry son of Lawrence of 1212.
22 The exact relationship is uncertain.
A case in 1254, in which an Adam son
of William was defendant, alludes to
William de Pemberton as if he were then
dead ; Cur. Reg. R. 1 54, m. 20. In
1292 William son of Roger de Ince
acquired a messuage and two oxgangs in
Pemberton from William son of Adam de
Pemberton and Mary his wife ; Final
Cone, i, 176. Two years later Mary,
widow of William, did not prosecute the
claim she mide against Adam son of
William son of Adam de Pemberton ;
Assize R. 1299, m. 14 d. John son of
William de Pemberton was of full age in
1292 ; Assize R. 468, m. 27 d.
28 Adam de Pemberton was both
plaintiff and defendant in 1292 ; Assize
R. 408, m. 58d. 43. Adam and Henry
de Pemberton were jurors in 1293 ; Lanes.
Inq. and Extents, i, 276. Hugh de Pem-
berton, enfeoffed by Adam de Pemberton
(probably the grandfather), recovered
seisin of a messuage, mill, &c., against
Adam de Pemberton and Robert de Rode;
Assize R. 1306, m. 16. The fine of 1304
(Final Cone, i, 203) may refer to a later
agreement between the parties.
84 Ibid, ii, 79.
William son of Hugh de Pemberton
is mentioned in 1343 ; Assize R. 430,
m. 26.
Hugh de Pemberton, rector of Brindle,
was about this time engaged in a number
of disputes and settlements in Pemberton;
possibly he was the younger son of Adam
mentioned in 1331. In 1356 Thomas
de Pemberton and many others, including
Henry de Pemberton the elder, Henry
his son, Edmund and Lawrence de Pem-
berton, and several 'nailers,' were con-
victed of having disseised Rector Hugh of
two messuages and lands in Pemberton ;
Duchy of Lane. Assize R. 5,m. 5. Roger
de Winstanley was defendant in another
case; ibid. m. 5 d. In 1365 and 1366
Emma, widow of Roger de Winstanley,
who afterwards married John de Ince,
brought a suit against the same Hugh ;
De Banco R. 421, m. 504 d. ; 425, m.
253 d. See also Final Cone, ii, 153.
35 In 1362 Eleanor, widow of Adam
[William] de Pemberton, and other
executors of the will of William son of
Adam de Pemberton, gave half a mark
for a writ respecting a false judgement ;
Fine R. 163, m. 7.
26 De Banco R. 427, m. 236 ; 463, m.
389, from which it appears that four of
the daughters had by 1376 married as
follows : Agnes to Alexander de Lynalx,
Katherine to Alexander de Worsley ;
Alice to Roger son of Richard de Ather-
ton, and Emma to Robert de Hindley.
The other daughter was named Joan.
V See above, and Visit, of 1613 (Chet.
Soc.), 117. In 1531 it was found that
Hugh Hindley of Aspull had held six
messuages, 60 acres of land, &c., and a
water-mill in Pemberton, of Thomas
Langton in socage, by the rent of 101. per
annum, i.e. a moiety of the ancient thegn-
age rent of the whole manor ; Duchy of
Lane. Inq. p.m. vi, no. 22. He had two
of the shares, as will be seen below.
28 The relationship of Alexander to the
main Worsley stock is unknown. An
Alexander son of Richard son of Henry
de Worsley occurs in 1334, but can
scarcely have been the husband of
Katherine ; Coram Rege R. 297, m. 120.
In October, 1431, a writ of redisseisin
was issued in favour of Robert de Sankey,
Hugh de Hindley, and Alice de Parr,
against William dc Worsley and Alice,
widow of Jordan de Worsley, regarding
80
lands and tenements in Pemberton and
Hindley ; Dtp. Keeper 1 * Rep. xxxiii, App.
32. Hugh Worsley of Pemberton is
mentioned in 1470 ; Towneley MS. GG,
no. 2671. For a curious claim made after
his death see Duchy Plead. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), i, 109.
The Worsley portion of the manor was-
in 1611 said to be held of Richard Fleet-
wood, baron of Newton, by a rent of 5*.
the service for a quarter of the manor ;
Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanct. and
Ches.), i, 172.
29 From the preceding note it will be
seen that a quarter of the manor is un-
accounted for. Nothing further is known
of William de Pemberton's daughter
Agnes, wife of Alexander de Lynalx.
Alice, who married Roger de Atherton,.
may have been ancestor of the Athertons
of later times.
It appears from the last note that
Robert de Sankey and Alice de Parr were
lords of the manor in 1431, in addition
to the Worsleys and Hindleys. One of
the latter married a Parr heiress, appar-
ently the Alice de Parr just named, so
securing the estate they had later in Parr
and a second quarter of the manor of
Pemberton. The Sankey quarter seems
to have descended to Thomas Sankey and
Thomas his son and heir apparent, who
in 1578 sold it to Thomas Molyneux of
Hawkley, in whose family it afterwards
descended ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle.
40, m. 171.
80 Lanct. Inq. p.m. (Chet. Soc.), i, 103.
Henry, son of Henry de Pemberton, who-
had brothers William and Peter, occurs in
1430 ; Towneley MS. GG, no. 2675 ; and
Henry de Pemberton in 1447 ; Lanct. Inf.
p.m. ii, 54.
81 A moiety of the manor of Pember-
ton, i.e. the Hindley portion, was in the
possession of Robert Bankes of Winstanley
in August 1721, and appears to have
descended with Winstanley ; Pal. of
Lane. Plea R. 515, m. 4; 571, m. 6 d. ;.
628, m. 7.
82 The family attained some promi-
nence in the i6th century. The Wors-
leys of the Isle of Wight were the most
conspicuous offshoot ; Sir James Worsley,
their founder, in 1526 complained of the
destruction of fences in the Crossfield ;
Ducatus Lane. (Rec. Com.), i, 140. Sir
James's will is in P.C.C. Ralph Wors-
ley obtained a grant of Birkenhead
Priory. Ottwell Worsley was concerned
in various suits in 1525 ; ibid, i, 130,
133. A pedigree was recorded in 16135.
Visit. (Chet. Soc.), 72.
James Worsley purchased land in Pem-
berton from Sir Robert Worsley o
Booths and Robert, the latter's son and
heir apparent, and Elizabeth his wife, in
1562; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle.
24, m. 61.
James Worsley in 1570 had a dispute
WEST DERBY HUNDRED
WIGAN
of Wardley, 33 and their estates are now held by the
Earl of Ellesmere. 34 The Molyneuxes of HAWK-
LET continued in possession until the death of
Bryan William Molyneux in l8c>5. 35 By his will the
Rev. William Hockenhull of Lymm in Cheshire
succeeded, and assumed the surname of Molyneux. 33
Hawkley, however, was afterwards sold, and is now
the property of the trustees of Meyrick Bankes. 37
The estate called TUNSTE4D was in the possession
of a branch of the Pembertons during the whole of
the 1 5th century. 38 One of the daughters and co-
heirs of George Pemberton then carried it by mar-
with James Winstanley and Thomas
Taylor respecting lands abutting on Salters-
ford Brook ; Ducafus Lane. (Rec. Com.),
ii, 403. (It may be stated by the way,
that an Adam the Salter and his wife
Juliana had a tenement in Pemberton in
1292 ; Assize R. 408, m. 44.) James
Worsley died in September 1590, holding
the capital messuage or manor house
called the hall of Worsley, and other
houses and lands, of Thomas Langton by
a rent of 5*. } Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m.
XT, no. 29.
His brother Ralph succeeded. He was
one of the * comers to church but no
communicants' in 1590; Lydiate Hall,
246. He had spent some time in Salford
gaol for religion in 1582 ; Engl. Martyrs
(Cath. Rec. Soc.), 23-5. Dying in 1610 it
was found that he had held the ' hall of
Worsley ' in Pemberton with messuages,
lands, and rents there, and in Parr, Win-
Stanley, Wigan, and Hindley. The Pem-
berton lands were held of Richard Fleet-
wood in socage, by a rent of 51. but part had
belonged to Upholland Priory,and was held
of the king by the two-hundredth part of
a knight's fee and 21. rent. His widow
Ellen was in possession in 1611, and his
heirs were his sister Alice, aged sixty
years, and Roger Downes of Wardley,
son of another sister, Elizabeth ; Lanes.
Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i,
171-3.
An account of the sinking of a coal pit
on his estate in 1600 is printed in Lanes.
and Cbes. Antiq. Soc. vii, 49-53.
83 Roger Downes represented Wigan in
the Parliaments of 1601 and 1620 ; Pink
and Beaven, Parl. Rep. of Lanes. 223,
224. He was buried at Wigan 6 July
1638. A monument to his grandson
Roger, who died in 1676, is in Wigan
Church. See the pedigree in Dugdale,
Vhit. (Chet. Soc.), 100, and the account
of Worsley.
84 In a fine concerning the Wardley
estates in 1741 George Lewis Scott was
plaintiff and James Cholmondeley and
Penelope his wife were deforciants ; Pal.
of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 327, m. 80.
Lady Penelope sold them to the Duke of
Bridge water in 1760.
85 Some particulars as to this family
will be found in the accounts of Rainhill
and Whiston.
The Visit, of 1567 suggests that their
coming to Pemberton was due to marriage
with the heiress of the Ince family. Gil-
bert de Ince of Hawkley occurs in 1374 ;
Inq. a.q.d. 48 Edw. Ill, no. 19 ; see also
Coram Rege R. 426. John Molyneux of
Hawkley occurs in 1469 and 14901 ;
Kuerden MSS. ii, fol. 245, no. 1012 ;
Towneley MS. GG, no. 2537.
An agreement was made in 1512 be-
tween Richard Molyneux of Hawkley or
Hawclifte and Thomas Gerard of Ince
for the marriage of the former's son
Richard (? Roger) with the latter's daugh-
ter Elizabeth ; Chet. P.
In 1543 Thomas Molyneux, son of
Roger and the last-named Elizabeth, and
Elizabeth his wife had a dispute with
Roger Molyneux concerning Hitchcock
carr ; Ducatus Lane. (Rec. Com.), i,
174. A settlement of lands in Pember-
ton and Hawkley was made by fine in
1546 between Roger Molyneux and
Thomas, his son and heir apparent, and
Elizabeth his wife ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of
F. bdle. 12, m. 193. Roger was living in
1547 ; ibid. bdle. 12, m. 250.
Hawkley Hall is mentioned in a dispute
between John Kitchen and Isabel his
daughter and Thomas Molyneux, the
owner, in 1561 ; Ducatus Lane. (Rec.
Com.), ii, 228. Thomas Molyneux and
his second wife Sibyl occur in various
fines concerning lands in Pemberton and
Markland from 15725 Pal. of Lane.
Feet of F., bdles. 34, m. 39, &c. ' Thomas
Molyneux of Hawkley, gent., in lands
40 and in goods 100,' was a recusant in
1 5 77 ; LydiateHall, 215, quoting S.P. Dom.
Eliz. cxviii, 45. He was buried at
Wigan 1 6 May 1586 ; and soon after-
wards disputes arose between his son and
heir Richard and Sibyl the widow. In
the pleadings the descent is thus given :
Richard Molyneux-s. and h. Roger-s. and
h. Thomas-s. and h. Richard. The estate
is described as a capital messuage called
Hawkley, containing demesne lands in
Hawkley and Pemberton, and varioui
lands in Aughton and Uplitherland of
very good yearly value ; Duchy of Lane.
Plead. Eliz. cliv, M. ii ; Decrees and
Orders, Eliz. xx, fol. 37.
Richard Molyneux of Hawkley was in
1590 among the 'comers to church, but
no communicants,' but he and his family
appear to have soon afterwards conformed
to the Established religion ; Lydiate Hall,
246 (quoting S.P. Dor/i. Eliz. ccxxxv, 4).
Pedigrees were reco/ded in 1567 and
1664 ; Vint. (Chet. Soc.), 108,200.
Richard Molyneux and Thomas his son
and heir-apparent made a settlement' of
the manor of Pemberton in 1607 ; Pal.
of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 71, no. 25.
Richard paid 10 in 1631 on refusing
knighthood ; Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and
Ches.), i, 213. He was still living in
1664, but Thomas was dead, and hia son
Richard, aged forty at the Visitation in
that year, soon afterwards succeeded to
the estate. Early in 1681 he made a
settlement of the manor and various lands
in Pemberton, as also in Wigan, Ince,
Standish, and Croft, Anne his wife, and
Hugh his son and heir-apparent being
joined as deforciants ; ibid. bdle. 206, m.
91. Richard Molyneux was buried at
Wigan 31 Oct. 1 68 1 ; Hugh suc-
ceeded, but appears to have had no issue,
and administration of his estate was
granted at Chester in 1687.
William Molyneux succeeded his
brother Hugh ; he was buried at Warring-
ton in 1698 and there is an inscription in
the churchyard commemorating him ;
Local Glean. Lanes, and Ches. i, 216. His
son William was succeeded by an uncle,
Reginald, brother of the preceding William
and Hugh ; and in turn was succeeded
by his sons William (buried at Wigan
4 Nov. 1740) and Richard (buried
at Warrington in 1748). In a settle-
ment made in 1721, William Molyneux,
gentleman, being in possession, their
part of the manor is described as 'the
81
fourth part ' ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F.
bdle. 288, m. 36. A monumental inscrip-
tion for Richard Molyneux exists in War-
rington Churchyard ; Local Glean, loc. cit.
Hawkley descended to his only son
Richard, who married Jane daughter
and heir of Bryan Wilcock of Walsh
Hall, Aughton. Among the Croxteth
Hall muniments is a lease of Hawkley
Hall in 1749, which describes the house
and names the mill and several fields,
as Hastings, Hiscow carrs, &e. In 1757
a fine concerning the manor of Pem-
berton has Hugh Wishaw for plaintiff
and David Brodie, Mary his wife, Rev.
Francis Gastrell, Jane his wife, William
Prujean, Sophia his wife, and Richard
Molyneux as deforciants ; Pal. of Lane.
Feet of F. bdle. 259, m. in. Richard
Molyneux was buried at Wigan 9 Mar.
1762, and was succeeded in turn by his
sons Richard (died 1771) and Bryan
William. The latter died at Lymm
Parsonage, 29 July 1805, unmarried.
There is a monument to him in Wigan
Church, where he was buried.
A full pedigree, from which this outline
has been taken, will be found in Palmer
MS. E. (Chet. Lib.), 202, 398.
86 The will of B. W. Molyneux stated
expressly : ' The said William Hockenhull
shall not enjoy the said premises other-
wise than upon the express condition
that when such estate shall come to him
in possession under the said trusts, he
shall take use and bear the surname of
Molyneux and shall cause himself to be
called by the surname of Molyneux and
no other.' A pedigree of the family is
given in Burke, Family Rec. 433.
87 Hawkley was sold by the Rev. Bryan
William Molyneux, son of William
Hockenhull.
88 There appear to have been several
families bearing the local surname. James
de Pemberton has been mentioned in
1246 ; Henry son of James occurs in
1276; Coram Rege R. 26, m. 3d.
Henry attested a local charter in 1293 in
the next place after Adam lord of Pem-
berton ; Towneley MS. GG, no. 2649.
Henry de Pemberton and James his son
occur about 1283 ; Cocker sand Chart, ii,
659.
In the Towneley volume just quoted
are a number of charters relating to Tun-
stead, which was at first an oxgang of
land, possibly that belonging to Alan son
of Aldith in 1212.
William de Pemberton granted * an ox-
gang in Pemberton called Tunstead,
which Aynhou (?) de Pemberton formerly
held ' of him, to Christiana, daughter of
Adam de Radcliffe ; Towneley MS. GG,
no. 2649. This afterwards came into the
possession of Simon de Holland, who
called it his 'manor,' and in 1293 granted
it to William son of Roger de Ince ; ibid.
GG, no. 2647, 2648 ; also Crosse D.
Trans. Hist. Soc. no. iia, b, c.
Simon son of Thurstan de Holland
had complained in 1292 that Robert de
Holland, Adam his son, Adam de North-
legh, and others had disseised him of his
free tenement in Wigan and Pemberton
(17 acres). Thurstan de Holland had
II
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
riage to Robert Molyneux of Melling, 39 and it
descended with the other lands of this family * until
they were sold in the middle of the 1 8th century.
MARKLAND was the property of the Hollands, 41
and in 1360 was granted to the Priory of Upholland.
On the suppression it was acquired by John
Holcroft."
Alexander Worsley, Thomas and John Molyneux,
Gilbert Scott, and Robert HigginsoR, contributed
to a subsidy of Mary's reign as landowners. 45 The
freeholders in 1 600 " were : Ralph Worsley,
Downes, 45 Richard Molyneux of Hawkley, Robert
Arrowsmith, Thomas Laithwaite, 46 Richard Pem-
berton, 47 Hugh Scott, 48 William Walthew, 49 Thomas
granted the estate to Juliana daughter of
John Gillibrand, for life, with remainders
to her tons, Thurstan and Adam, and
then to the plaintiff Simon, apparently a
brother. Adam died before Thurstan
without issue 5 Thurstan died at Oxford ;
and Simon, who was then in Scotland,
returned to Wigan to take possession, but
found Robert's men in the tenement. At
Pemberton, Adam de Pemberton, as lord,
had entered, and held until Simon ap-
peared to claim ; Simon had married a
daughter of his. The lands in Wigan
were held of Robert de Holland by the
service of a barbed arrow ; Assize R. 408,
m. i6d.
Nothing further is known of its history
for a century. Richard de Pemberton
died in possession of it in 141 5> a * a l so f
other lands called the Marsh, &c. ; his
son Thomas being dead the heir was his
grandson Hugh ; Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Chet.
Soc.), i, 103. In the same year William,
another son of Richard, as trustee granted
Tunstead to Alice, the widow of Richard,
for life, with remainders to Hugh son of
Thomas de Pemberton, and then to Hugh
and Thurstan, sons of Richard ; Towne-
ley MS. GG, no. 2626, 2655.
Hugh de Pemberton by his wife Douce
had a son John, whose son George was
the last of the direct male line of the
family. For Hugh's marriage see ibid.
GG, no. 2596, 2597, dated 1435. He
died in or before 1466, when Douce was
a widow, and the son John in possession ;
ibid. GG, no. 2650, 2671, and Crosse D.
no. 146.
89 Beatrice, Elizabeth, Ellen, and Alice
were the daughters and co-heirs of George
son of John Pemberton ; Towneley MS.
GG, no. 2362, 2890, 2405, dated 1512
and 1514 ; and Crosse D. no. 172. Bea-
trice Pemberton and others in 1 5 1 2 claimed
the wardship of Elizabeth Birkenhead ;
Ducatus Lane. (Rec. Com.), i, 127.
The third of the daughters, Ellen, mar-
ried Robert Molyneux of Melling (fisit.
of 1567, p. 100), and in the inquisition
taken after the death of their son and
heir John Molyneux in 1582, the estate,
comprising Tunstead Hall and various
lands, is fully described ; among the
fields were Bridgeley and Mabcroft ; it was
held of the heirs of the lords of Pember-
ton, James Worsley and Robert Hindley,
in socage by rents of 41. 8</. and jd. re-
spectively ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m.
xiv, no. 73.
40 See Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches. ), i, 43 ; Pal. of Lane.
Feet of F. bdle. 94, no. 15.
41 In 1241 Robert de Holland q-iit-
claimed to Adam de Pemberton all his
title to twelve oxgangs in Pemberton in
return for the homage and service of
Thomas de Sifrethley ; Final Cone, i, 82.
In 1292 Robert de Holland and Robert
his son had an estate in Pemberton and
Orrell ; ibid, i, 173.
In 1348 Maud, widow of Robert de
Holland, had claimed dower in the
* manor of Markland,' described as three
plough-lands ; De Banco R. 355, m. 307.
Inquiry was made at Prescot on 25
Jan. 1346-7 as to whether or not it
would be to the king's hurt if a messuage,
a mill, 60 acres of land, 3 acres of mea-
dow, and 6 acres of wood in Pemberton,
and the reversion of other lands held
for a term by Adam de Orrell and Nicho-
las his son, should be granted to the prior
and convent of Upholland. The lands
were held of Ralph de Langton by fealty
and rendering a rose at midsummer, and
were of the annual value of 53*. 4^. The
answer of the jury was in the negative ;
the king had already licensed a grant of
lands to the value of 20 a year ; and
after this land had been given Sir Robert
de Holland had the manor of Holland,
worth 100 marks a year, from which to
discharge his liabilities to the king and
others ; Inq. p.m. 41 Edw. Ill (2nd
nos.), no. 12.
In 1535 the clear value was reckoned
at 8 IDS. a year, and after the Dissolution
the various rents came to the same
amount ; Dugdale, Man. iv, 412.
4 Pat. 37 Hen. VIII, pt. iv ; included
in the general grant of the priory lands.
Markland was soon sold to Sir Robert
Worsley of Booths, Thomas Molyneux
purchasing part from Robert Worsley ;
Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdles. 31, ro.
i", M75 35. m. 41.
48 Mascy of Rixton D.
44 Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.),
*39-43-
45 Roger Downes had acquired land in
1597 from Thomas Worsley and Kather-
ine his wife ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F.
bdle. $8, m. 19.
48 See the account of Wigan.
47 In 1517 John Pemberton of Lone-
merehead, with his son Thomas and the
latter's wife Elizabeth, leased their chief
place to Robert Molyneux ; Pal. of Lane.
Plea R. 121, m. 6 d. John Pemberton
and Alice his wife had an estate in the
township in 1519; Pal. of Lane. Feet
of F. bdle. n, m. 217. Robert Pember-
ton and Margaret his wife in 1546; ibid,
bdle. 1 2, no. 247. He may be the Robert
Higginson alias Pemberton of 1549, who
had a dispute with Roger Molyneux as to
Wacarrs ; Ducatus Lane. (Rec. Com.), i,
241. Ralph Pemberton alias Higginson
appears in 1571 (ibid, iii, 25) and Rich-
ard Pemberton alias Higginson in 1579 ;
Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 41, m. 92.
Richard Pemberton, yeoman, died 20
Sept. 1628 holding a messuage and lands
of Roger Downes and Richard Moly-
neux ; the heirs were his daughters,
Margaret wife of Henry Holme, and Mar-
gery wife of Ralph Rylands, aged thirty-
nine and thirty-four respectively ; Towne-
ley MS. C 8, 13 (Chet. Lib.), 976.
48 Roger Scott was a defendant in a
plea by John the Salter respecting a mes-
suage and lands in Pemberton in Lent
1351 ; Duchy of Lane. Assize R. i. m.
id. The Scotts held the lands of the
Abbey of Cockersand ; Chartul. iii, 1246,
1243 5 Ducatus Lane. (Rec. Com.), i, 266.
Cuthbert Scott, Bishop of Chester
1556 to 1559, is said to have been a
member of the family, which adhered to
the ancient faith j Gillow, Bibl. Diet, of
82
Engl. Catholics, v, 484. A Cuthbert Scott
and his wife appear in the Recusant Roll
of 1641 ; Trans. Hist. Soc. (new ser.), xiv,
*39-
A large number of deeds relating to the
Scotts of Wigan and Pemberton have
been preserved by Kuerden (ii, fol. 259)
from ' Mr. Thomas Scott's charters.' In
1384-5 a settlement was made on the
marriage of Richard son of Roger Scott
with Alice daughter of Richard the Mar-
shal of Wigan (his land was in the
Woodhouses) ; no. 108 ; see no. 37, 36,
45. About 1411 Richard son of Roger
Scott made a grant of land in Scholes in
Wigan between the walk mill and the
high road to his son Roger on marrying
Alice daughter of William Laithwaite ;
ibid.no. 71,69. Roger Scott the younger
received the Marshal lands in Wigan
Woodhouses in 1418 ; ibid. no. 48, 72.
These lands descended by 1467 to Hugh
Scott of Pemberton, a son of Roger Scott;
ibid. no. 38, 53, 6 1. Hugh's son Richard
was in 1467 married to Ellen daughter of
Richaru Warburton ; lands called High
Appletree Croft and Little Scholefield
were granted to them ; Joan, wife of
Hugh is mentioned ; ibid. no. 32, 80.
Richard Scott had a son Hugh, whose
marriage with Agnes, sister of Thomas
Gerard of Ince, was arranged in 1508-9 ;
ibid. no. 14, 47. In 1529 Hugh Scott of
Pemberton, and Gilbert his son and heir,
demised to Gilbert Mason and Margery
his wife a burgage in Millgate, Wigan ;
ibid. no. 104. In 15 52 Agnes, widow of
Hugh Scott, and Gilbert her son, leased a
tenement in Scholes to Charles Bank,
brother of William Bank ; ibid. no. 19.
Richard Scott of Lathom, household ser-
vant to the Earl of Derby, mentioned in
the story of George Marsh, occurs in
these deeds, no. 41, 68.
Gilbert Scott died in or before 1576,
when a settlement was made by Hugh Scott,
his son, and Alice his wife, of various lands
in Wigan, Pemberton,and Urmston, with
remainders to Gilbert and Roger sons of
Hugh 5 ibid. no. 17. Gilbert married a
Margaret, and his son Ralph in or before
1592 married Elizabeth a sister of Gabriel
Hesketh ; ibid. no. 21, 9, 91.
Gilbert Scott died 28 January 1620-1,
his son Ralph being then 27 years of age;
various family arrangements are set out
in the inquisition printed in the Rec. Soc.
Lanes. Inq. p.m. ii, 237-9. Ralph Scott't
estate was confiscated by the Parliamen-
tary authorities, and ordered to be sold by
the Act of 1652 ; Index of Royalists, 41 ;
Cal, of Com. for Compounding, iv, 3105.
Cuthbert Scott, a recusant, petitioned in
1653 to contract for his estates ; ibid, iv,
3 J 74-
An old ballad about Gilbert Scott and
his wife appeared in the Gent. Mag. 1740;
Preston Guardian Loc. Notes, no. 1460.
49 A Geoffrey Walthew was trustee in
1589 ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 31,
m. 147. The William Walthew of the
text was perhaps his son (buried at Wigan,
November 1600) ; for Geoffrey, grandson
of Geoffrey Walthew, died in 1607, leav-
ing a son and heir Robert, three years
Whalley, 60 Humphrey Winstanley, and John Worth-
ington. The landowners who contributed to the
subsidy of 1628 were Roger Downes, for Worsley's
lands ; Richard Molyneux, and the heirs of Richard
Pemberton. 61 Several ' delinquents ' compounded for
their estates under the rule of the Commonwealth. 68
The following ' papists ' registered estates here in
1717: Barbara and Margaret Green, George Uns-
worth, and William Winstanley. 63 The land tax
returns of 1787 show the chief owners to have been
the Duke of Bridgewater, the heirs of T. Barton,
Mrs. Percival, W. B. Molyneux, and John Markland.
During the last century a number of places of wor-
ship have been erected in Pemberton. In connexion
with the Established Church St. John's was
consecrated in 1832 as a chapel of ease to the parish
church ; a burial ground was attached to it. The
rector of Wigan is the patron." The church of St.
Matthew, Highfield, built in 1894, serves as a chapel
of ease. St Mark's, Newtown, was built in 1891.
The patronage is vested in trustees. There is a
licensed chapel at Worsley Mesnes.
The Methodist denominations are well represented,
the Wesleyan, Primitive, Independent, and United
Free Methodists having places of worship. There are
also Free Gospel and Congregational chapels.
The Roman Catholic church of St. Cuthbert
dates from 1872 ; it was enlarged in 1887."
A schoolhouse was built at Goose Green by Thomas
Molyneux ; but no endowment was provided. 68
BILLINGE
Bulling, 1 2 1 2 and commonly in xiv cent. ; Billinge,
1284 ; Bollynge, 1292 ; Bullynth, 1292.
This township, which originally included Winstan-
ley, has long been divided into two halves regarded as
separate townships and known as Chapel End and
Higher End. They form the south-west corner of
the parish.
The position of Chapel End township the eastern
one is bleak and open, and the country bare ex-
cept in the south, where there are more trees and
green fields about the neighbourhood of Carr Mill
Dam, a fairly large sheet of water. In the middle of
this lake the boundaries of three townships meet. In the
north there are sandstone quarries on the highest
point of the hill. There are fields where potatoes,
wheat, and oats are grown, besides pastures nearer the
base of the hillside. The soil is sandy, over a sub-
stratum of gravel and sandstone rock. The chapel
lies near the centre of the boundary between Chapel
End and Winstanley on the north. The village,
WIGAN
with its long straggling street and stone houses, spreads
from it along the road from Wigan to St. Helens,
which is the principal thoroughfare. About the
middle of the township it is crossed by another road
which runs eastward from the chapel to Ashton
in Makerfield. The south-western boundary is formed
by Black Brook, near which lies Birchley ; and the
south-eastern by the Goyt, its affluent, on which
is Chadwick Green. Two detached portions of Win-
stanley lie on this side. The surface rises from
the two streams, a height of nearly 600 ft. being
attained at the northern border. Here stands Billinge
Beacon, 1 from which fine views can be obtained. The
area of Chapel End is 1,161 acres/ and the population
in 1901 numbered 2,068.
Billinge Higher End, on the north-west side of
the former township, has an area of 1,571 acres. 5
The population in 1901 numbered 1,600.* Near
the centre, by Brownlow, a height of 5 60 ft. is
attained, the surface falling away somewhat quickly
to the south-west boundary, which is formed
by Black Brook, and also to the west and north. This
ridge of high ground, known as Billinge Hill, is visible
for miles around. There are extensive quarries of sand-
stone and a gritstone used for making mill-stones.
In the north of the district there are one or two
unimportant coal-mines. In this part the hill is not
entirely bare in spite of its exposed situation, for there
are plantations of small pine trees and some larger
deciduous trees. The west side of the township is
occupied by cultivated fields where wheat, oats, and
potatoes are grown in a rich sandy soil. On the west
lies Billinge Hall ; to the north are Bispham Hall,
Gautley, and the Great Moss. On the east a brook
divides the township from Winstanley ; Longshaw lies
here, with the village adjacent, on the road from
Billinge chapel to Upholland. The main roads are
macadamized ; others set with square blocks of native
sandstone ; they are protected by walls in the upper
parts and hedges in the lower parts of the township.
A local board for Billinge was formed in 1872,* the
district including both the townships and also part of
Winstanley. This was succeeded in 1 894 by an urban
district council of twelve members.
The present townships of BILLINGE
M4NOR (Higher End and Chapel End) and W. IN-
ST4NLET were originally but one manor,
rated as half a plough-land, and probably forming one
of the berewicks of Newton before the Conquest, just
as they constituted members of the Newton barony
after it. 6 The inquest of 1212 shows that this ex-
tensive manor had long been divided into three por-
tions, almost equal. The lord was Adam de Billinge,
old ; Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Ches.), i, 80.
Robert Walthew of Pemberton was
charged with delinquency by the Parlia-
ment in 1650, and his estate was in
ganger of sequestration ; Col. of Com. for
^Compounding, iii, 2333. In 1667 he built
Ihe school at Upholland ; his daughter and
heir Elizabeth married Ralph Markland
of the Meadows ; Gastrell, Notitia Cestr.
ii, 259, 260, with a reference to Nichol,
Lit. Anec. iv, 657.
60 John Whalley of Pemberton, yeoman,
died m 1587, holding lands of the queen
in Orrell and Pemberton by a rent of
2i. 4</. ; Thomas his son and heir was
twenty-eight years of age ; Duchy of
Lane. Inq. p.m. xiv, no. 36. A later
John Whalley died in April 1630, holding
lands in Orrell and Pemberton of the
king ; James his brother and heir was
forty years of age ; Duchy of Lane. Inq.
p.m. xxvii, no. 37. James Whalley is
named in Dugdale's Visitation (Chet. Soc.),
319 ; he appears in the recusant roll of
1641 ; Trans. Hist. Soc. (new ser.), xiv,
240.
61 Norris D. (B.M.).
62 In addition to those mentioned al-
ready, see Cal. Com, for Compounding, iii,
2014, 2394; Royalist Comp. Papers (Rec.
Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 257.
48 Estcourt and Payne, Engl. Cath. Non-
jurors, in, 124, 152.
64 Bridgeman, op. cit. (Chet. Soc.), 782.
A district was assigned in 1838 (Land.
83
Gam. 3 Apr.) ; the inclusion of part of
Orrell led to disputes, as the ratepayers
here were for a time called on to pay
church rates both to the new church and
to Upholland.
55 Liverpool Catb. Annual, 1901.
56 Gastrell, Notitia (Chet. Soc.), ii, 251.
1 It was erected as a sea mark, about
1780 ; Baines, Lanes, (ed. 1836), iii, 565.
2 1163, including 9 of inland water,
according to the census of 1901.
8 1573, including 3 of inland water;
census of 1901.
4 Including King's Moss, &c.
* Land. Gate. 17 Dec. 1872.
8 V.C.H. Lanes, i, 286. See Lanes. Inq.
p.m. (Chet. Soc.), i, 138; ii, 99; ibid.
(Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 105.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
holding of ' ancient feoffment ' by the service of I or.
rent and the finding of a judge at the Newton court/
The two subordinate manors were held by Simon
and by Roger de Winstanley ; each was considered
an oxgang and a third, but the services due are not
recorded. Roger's share soon became independent.
Yet another tenant, Uctred Leute, held a ridding,
and paid \6d. rent. 8 Adam had made grants to
Cockersand Abbey and to the Hospital of Chester. 9
No satisfactory account can be given of the descent
of these manors, through lack of evidence. Adam dc
Knowsley had lands here in 1246 ; 10 and six years
later he and his wife Godith seem to have had the
lordship. 11 Henry de Huyton, the son of Adam, wa&
in 1292 lord of two-thirds of the manor, the other
third being Winstanley. 1 * Billinge, however, did not
descend with Huyton ; Robert, son of Henry, be-
coming lord of it, either by special grant or in right
of his mother. His daughters were his heirs." In
i 3 74 the manor is found to have been divided into
four parts, which seem to have been held by Eves,
Heaton, Billinge and Winstanley. 14 The Eves share
7 Lanes. Inq. and Extents (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), i, 76. Adam de Billinge
contributed half a mark to the scutage in
1 20 1 and later years ; Farrer, Lanes,
PifeR. 152, 179, 205.
8 Inq. and Extents, loc. cit.
Uctred Leute's holding may have been
in Crookhurst, a family taking its name
from this place. Richard son of Richard
de Crookhurst was a defendant in 1302 ;
Assize R. 418, m. 10 d.
9 To Cockersand Abbey Adam de Bil-
linge gave all Falling and Ruhlow, the
boundaries beginning at Kidsay Brook,
going to Blackley, to Walley Clough, by
this to Wetcroft Lache, and so by Little
Ruhlow to the starting point. Further
he gave half of Crookhurst, the bounds
being from Swinepit Clough to Birchley
Brook and Blackley Brook, and so to the
start ; Cockirsand Chart. (Chet. Soc.), ii,
665, 666. William son of Simon de
Bulling granted the same abbey a part of
his land called Leyerich Ridding, within
the carr and Hennecroft ; also his portion
of Crookhurst, the bounds being named
with great minuteness ; ' the ford next
the house of Thomas Cert which was
burnt' is among them ; ibid, ii, 667.
From the charter last quoted 'the
Hospital* is identified as that outside the
north gate of Chester.
The Abbey's lands in Crookhurst were
in 1461 held by Henry Atherton of Bicker-
stafFe, and descended with this estate ;
ibid, ii, 668 ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m.
iv, no. 68. The rent paid was \%d.
William de Falling, probably the tenant
of the Abbot of Cockersand, in 1308
held lands under the lord of Winstanley ;
Assize R. 423, m. 2. A later bearer of
the name forfeited his lands for felony,
but those he held of Cockersand were
given up to the abbot in 1384; Def.
Keeper's Rep. xxxii, 356, 357.
The Cockersand lands here, as in other
places, were granted to Thomas Holt ;
Ducatus Lane. (Rec. Com.), ii, 288.
10 Christiana widow of Henry son of
Quenilda sued Hugh de Crookhurst for
dower in 12 acres ; it was found that
Adam de Knowsley held the land ; Assize
R. 404, m. 13.
Crookhurst was the subject of an agree-
ment in 1256 between William son of
Hugh and Emma his wife, and Adam
son of Hugh and Agnes his wife ; Final
Cone. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i,
127. William son of Hugh is called
William de Rainford in a suit of 1292 ;
Assize R. 408, m. 61.
11 Final Cone, i, 114.
19 In 1278 William de Billinge com-
plained that Henry de Huyton had
destroyed one of his ditches in Billinge ;
Assize R. 1238, m. 35.
Six or seven years later Adam de Bil-
linge complained that Henry de Huyton
and another had disseised him of his free
tenement in Billinge ; Assize R. 1268,
m. id.
In 1290 it was Henry de Huyton who
was plaintiff, regarding two-thirds of cer-
tain wood and moor, and iron mineral ;
Assize R. 1288, m. 12, 13. The defen-
dants were Roger de Winstanley and
Henry son of Ralph de Billinge ; they
made an exchange of lands in 1283, to
which Hugh son of Ralph de Billinge
was one of the witnesses ; Cockersand
Chart, ii, 659.
Richard de Crookhurst in 1292 com-
plained that Henry de Huyton, Adam de
Billinge, and Roger de Winstanley had
deprived him of estovers in 100 acres of
wood for housebote and haybote i.e. for
burning, fencing, and building pannage
for his pigs, &c. Henry, in reply, said
he was chief lord of two-thirds of the
vill, and Roger of one-third ; as chief lords
they had approved from the waste, and
the complainant, who was Henry's tenant,
had sufficient estovers outside the ap-
provement. He wa non-suited ; Assize
R. 408, m. 12 d.
Adam de Billinge' s right in the manor
is not here defined ; it appears that he
was the representative, and no doubt
descendant, of the Simon of 1212. He
should, therefore, have had a moiety of
Henry de Huyton's two-thirds, and from
another suit of 1292 it appears that he
claimed the moiety of 50 acres of moor
and wood from Henry de Huyton, here
called de Rycroft, and others ; ibid. m.
25. Nine years later the suit, or a simi-
lar one, appears in the rolls, Adam claim-
ing the moiety of 60 acres of wood and
waste. Henry de Huyton, the principal
defendant the others were William Bird
and Alan son of Eva de Billinge replied
that he was lord of the two-thirds of Bil-
linge and Adam of one-third ; and they had
agreed that the 60 acres should pertain to
Henry, and another portion of the waste,
called Catshurst, should belong to Adam.
The jury found that Catahurst was only 12
acres, and that Henry had approved 40
acres, a share of which should be given
to Adam; Assize R. 1321, m. 5 d. In
the following year Adam de Billinge and
Henry de Huyton were chief lords, the
complainants being William de Huyton
and Robert his brother ; Assize R. 418,
m. 10 d.
A possible solution is that Winstanley,
having become detached, paid 31. 6d. rent
to the lord of Newton ; that the remain-
ing 6s. 6d. was shared between Henry de
Huyton and Adam de Billinge in the
ratio of two to one, while they divided
the land equally.
18 Robert and William de Huyton were
among the defendants in a suit of 1309
affecting the boundaries of Billinge and
Winstanley, Henry de Huyton and Adam
de Billinge being also joined ; Assize R.
423, m. 2.
Four years later Robert de Huyton
recovered from Henry de Huyton the
manor of Billinge ; Assize R. 424,
m. i d.
8 4
In 1321 William son of Robert de
Huyton settled messuages and lands upon
Robert de Huyton the elder for his life ;
Final Cone, ii, 41. The pedigree of the
Huyton family is not clear ; but Robert Ac
Huyton the elder was probably a brother
of Henry. Robert son of William brother
of Henry de Huyton and Robert son of
Henry de Huyton were last in the re-
mainders of a settlement made by Ellen
de Torbock in 1332 ; Croxteth D. Z, i,
4. In the same year Robert de Huyton
and William de Billinge contributed to
the subsidy ; Excb. Lay Subs. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), 26. Six years later
Robert de Huyton of Billinge acquired
some land in Ashton ; Final Cone, ii, 108.
Robert de Huyton of Billinge, pro-
bably a descendant, complained in 1348
of the damage which William Dawson of
Billinge had done to property while he
had it on lease ; he had pulled down a
hall worth 10, and two chambers worth
^5 each, and cut down twenty apple-treei
worth 201. each, <&c. ; De Banco R. 355,
m. 21 ; 356, m. 234 d. Four years later
certain lands were held jointly by Alan
the clerk of Rainford, whose wife was
Agnes, and Robert son of Matthew de
Huyton ; Duchy of Lane. Assize R. 2
(Pent.), m. 2. Another defendant in the
case was Isolda, widow of Roger de Win-
Stanley and daughter of Roger (? Robert)
de Huyton. Richard de Huyton appears
in 1357 ; ibid. R. 6, m. 5.
14 By charter of June 1331 Robert de
Huyton and Mary his wife granted an
estate in Billinge to trustees, with re-
mainders successively to their children,
Henry, Richard, Isolda, Agnes and Avice.
By 1363 Robert and Mary were dead,
and Henry and Richard had died without
issue j Isolda was the wife of William the
clerk of Wigan, and her estate having
been taken into the king's hands for some
default of Eustace de Cottesbech, for
whom her father had been a surety, she
petitioned for restoration ; L.T.R. Memo.
R.I 28, m. 5. Isolda seems to have been the
widow of Roger de Winstanley ; in 1363
Hugh de Winstanley sued William the clerk
of Wigan and Isolda his wife for waste ;
De Banco R. 416, m. 299 d. It appears
from the following that there was another
daughter who shared the inheritance.
From a plea of 1372 it is clear that the
manor of Billinge, i.e. the Huyton half
as previously explained, had become di-
vided among four co-heirs and their issue ;
for Geoffrey de Wrightington and Ellen
his wife, executors of the will of Robert
de Winstanley (Ellen "being the widow),
in that year claimed dower from Henry
de Scarisbrick as guardian of the land and
heir of Robert de Billinge, from Richard
de Heaton and Isolda his wife ; and from
Alan the Barker and Agnes his wife,
each of the defendant parties holding a
fourth part of the manor ; De Banco R.
447, m. 1 84 d. 5454, m. 141.
Alan the Barker may have succeeded
BlLLINGE : BlSPHAM HALL
ABRAM : BAMFURLONG HALL
WEST DERBY HUNDRED
WIGAN
descended to the Lathoms of Mossborough ; ld and
one of the parts was later held by the Bispham
family.
The Heatons also held BIRCH LET in Chapel End,
the service to the lord of Newton being 3/. zd. rent. 16
This manor of Birchley was acquired in the i6th
century by the Andertons of Lostock, a younger
son settling here. 17 It is now owned by Lord
Gerard. 18
Higher End contains Bispham Hall and Billinge
Hall, named after the lords of other portions of the
manor. The share of the Bispham family 19 was
described as a fourth part even in the 1 8th century,
when it passed by marriage to Thomas Owen of
Upholland, 10 and then by his two daughters to Holt
and Edward Leigh.* 1 From Holt Leigh it has
ANDERTON of Lostock.
Sable three ihackbolts ar-
gent.
GERARD, Lord Gerard.
Argent a saltire gules.
Alan de Rainford, who, with Agnes his
wife, had a quarter of a moiety of the
manor in 1366, when it was settled upon
them for their lives, with remainder to
Robert del Eves and his heirs ; Final
Cone, ii, 172. It may be conjectured
that this Robert was the son of Agnes by
a former marriage. Thus the four co-
heirs were in 1374 represented by Win-
stanley, Billinge, Heaton and Eves, and
each quarter would pay a rent of is. id.
to the lord of Newton.
Some further light on the descent is
given by claims for debt made by the
executors of the will of Sir John de
Dalton in the next year against Geoffrey
de Wrightington and Ellen his wife,
executrix of the will of Robert de Win
Stanley ; Geoffrey de Urmston, execute r
of the will of Joan, who had been w'fe
and executrix of Robert de Billinge ;
Alan the Barker of Billinge, executor of
the will of Margery, who was the wife
and executrix of Robert de Staverley ; and
Robert de Huyton, executor of the will
of Agnes, who was the wife of Alan de
Rainford ; De Banco R. 4.57, vn. 186.
341 d.
15 Agnes de Rainford being dead, as
appears in the last note, Robert del Eves
came into possession, and was defendant
in 1375 ; De Banco R. 459, m. 162.
He died in or before 1398 ; having held
Galfhey (? Gautley) in Billinge of Ralph
de Langton, baron of Newton, in socage
by the rent of \$d. ; Nicholas, his son
and heir, was twenty-four years of age ;
Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Chet. Soc.), i, 68. The
heiress of this family married a Lathom
of Mossborough ; Visit, of 1613 (Chet.
Soc.), 1 06 ; and in 1620 Henry Lathom
died, holding messuages and lands in Bil-
linge of the barony of Newton by a rent
of iT,d. ; Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc.), ii,
205 ; see also Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m.
x, no. 2.
16 The rent appears to be made up of
2$. zd. due by the heir of Adam de Bil-
linge, and 15. due from the quarter of the
manor inherited from the Huyton family.
In a later inquisition the rent is given as
3>. id. ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xxx,
no. 7.
What is known of the Billinge family
has been stated in previous notes. A
member of the family married one of the
Huyton co-heirs, while the heiress of the
main branch appears to have married
William de Heaton, son of the Richard
de Heaton who held another quarter of
the Huyton share. In 1398 a dispensa-
tion was granted for the marriage of Joan
de Billinge with William de Heaton ;
Raines MSS. (Chet. Lib.) xxxvii. B, 615
Dods. MSS. vii, fol. 326. In 1422 a settle-
ment was made of the manor of Birchley
and messuages and lands in Billinge, &c.,
the holders being William de Heaton and
Joan his wife ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F.
bdle. 5, m. 9. In 1530 Richard Heaton
gave the manor of Billinge, and his mes-
suages, mills, and lands there and in
Birchley to trustees, for the benefit of
his son William ; Pal. of Lane. Plea R.
151, m. 8.
" In a fine of 1581 relating to Birch-
ley and a quarter of the manor, James
and Thurstan Anderton, sons of Christo-
pher, were plaintiffs, and William Heaton
and his sons Ralph and Richard, defor-
ciants; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle.
43, m. 133. Previously, e.g., in 1542,
the manor of Birchley had been included
in the Heaton settlements ; ibid. bdle. 12,
m. 66, &c. James Anderton, of Lostock,
died in 1613, seised among other proper-
ties of the capital messuage called Birch-
ley Hall, and of various houses and lands
in Billinge, held of the Baron of Newton,
in socage, by a rent of 31. id. ; Lanes.
Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc.), ii, 26, 27. Roger,
his younger brother, had Birchley by
arrangement with his brother Christopher,
of Lostock ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F.
bdle. 94, m. 3, and note of Mr. Ince
Anderton. In 1631 he paid 10 on
refusing knighthood ; Misc. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), i, 213. He was buried
at Wigan, i Oct. 1640, and Anne, his
widow, on 14 Sept. 1646.
His son, James Anderton, of Gray's
Inn, took arms for the king in the Civil
War, and joined in the attack on Bolton.
Though comprised within the articles of
Ludlow he forebore to compound within
the time fixed, being a recusant, though
not convicted. In 1649 he petitioned to
be allowed to compound. His estates
were, however, confiscated, and included
in the third act of sale, 1652 ; Index of
Royalists (Index Soc.), 41 ; and Thomas
Wharton purchased Birchley in the fol-
lowing year. Soon afterwards, however,
a composition was arranged, the fine of
j8oo being reduced to 650 31. 4</., and
further afterwards ; Royalist Comp. Papers
i, 75-81. Captain Thurstan Anderton,
another of the family, was wounded at
the battle of Newbury, and died at
Oxford, in Sept. 1643 : Castlemain, Cath.
Apology. Early in 1654, in a fine con-
cerning the ' manor of Billinge,' James
Anderton, Thomas Wharton, and Joseph
Rigby were deforciants; Pal. of Lane.
Feet of F. bdle. 153, m. 81. James
Anderton died in 1673 ; Cavalier's Note
Bk. 305. His only child was a daughter
Elizabeth, who married John Cansfield of
Cantsfield. A pedigree was recorded in
1664 ; Dugdale, Visit. 5.
18 Mary, the daughter and heir of the
above John Cansfield, married Sir William
Gerard, and in 1692 her lands were set-
tled as the manors of Robert Hall and
Cantsfield, and a fourth part of the manor
of Billinge, with messuages and lands in
these places, including Birchley ; Pal. of
Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 229, m. 109.
19 No pedigree was recorded. The ear-
liest of this family known is Thomas
Bispham, who in 1552 was one of various
persons charged with destroying timber in
Galtly Wood, and who early in 1558
made a settlement of three messuages,
and other lands in Billinge and Rainford ;
Ducatus, i, 242 ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F.
bdle. 20, m. 112. Henry and Thomas,
jun., appear in a fine of 1571 ; ibid,
bdle. 33, m. 39. Two years later, Thomas
Bispham (probably the younger, on suc-
ceeding), made a settlement of 4 mes-
suages and lands in Billinge and Rainford ;
ibid. bdle. 35, m. 19. In 1600 he was
among the freeholders of the township.
William Bispham, who appears in
1628, on refusing knighthood paid 20
in 1631 : Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and
Ches.), i, 212. He died 10 Oct. 1639,
holding lands in Orrell and Billinge, the
latter of the Baron of Newton by a rent
of 1 3</., the regular rent for a fourth part
of the manor ; his son and heir, Samuel,
was of full age ; Duchy of Lane. Inq.
p.m. xxx, no. 97. William Bispham of
Billinge married a niece of Bishop Bridge-
man's ; Wigan Ch. 348. See also Fun.
Certs. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), 198,
for further particulars of the family ;
Samuel Bispham was one of King
Charles's physicians in ordinary, and had
a son and heir, Thomas, aged 1 8 months
at his grandfather's death.
In 1641 the manors of Orrell and Bil-
linge, and messuages, windmill, and lands
there were the subject of a settlement by
Samuel Bispham, esq. ; Pal. of Lane.
Feet of F. bdle. 139, n. 32. Thomas
Bispham died 22 Sept. 1677, aged 40 ;
Wigan Ch. 746 ; and another of the
same name followed, for Frances Bispham,
widow of Thomas, and Thomas Bispham
were vouchees in a recovery of the manors
in 1703 ; Pal. of Lane. Plea R. 477, m.
6. Frances died at the end of the same
year ; Wigan Ch. loc. cit.
80 Thomas Bispham had an only daugh-
ter and heir Margaret, who about 1731
married Thomas Owen ; Pal. of Lane.
Plea R. 532, m. 7 ; Feet of F. bdle.
307, m. 8 ; Wigan Ch. 746.
21 Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdles. 368,
m. 64; 371, m. 137; Plea R. 599,
m. 12 ; the ' manor or lordship of Orrell,
a fourth part of the manor or lordship or
reputed manor or lordship of Billinge,
with lands, &c., in Orrell, Billinge, Up-
holland, Rainford, and Wigan.'
Holt Leigh died 1 1 March 1785, aged
5 5, and was buried at St. Clement Danes,
London ; his widow Mary died 28 Nov.
1794, aged 53 ; Wigan Cb. 745, 746.
Bispham Hall was about 1850 the pro-
perty of John Holt ; Raines, in Gastrell's
Notitia, ii, 254.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
LEIGH. Gules a cross
engrailed argent between
four lozenges ermine, a
canton or.
descended like Orrell to Mr. Roger Leigh, of Hindley
Hall, Aspull.
The shares of the Bi Hinge"
and Winstanley* 3 families can-
not be traced satisfactorily.
One of the quarters of the
manor was acquired by the
family of Bankes of Winstan-
ley. 24
Thomas and John Winstan-
ley and Thomas Bispham," as
landowners of Billinge and
Winstanley, contributed to a
subsidy levied about 1556.
The freeholders in 1600
were : Anderton of Birchley,
Thomas Bispham, Richard Billinge, William Ather-
ton, and John Wood. 26 In 1628 the landowners,
contributing to the subsidy
were : Roger Anderton, Wil-
liam Bispham, William Black-
burn, Edmund Wood, and
Edmund Bispham. The first
and last of these, as convicted
recusants, paid double. 17 Those
who contributed for lands to
the subsidy of 1663 were
James Anderton of Birchley,
Thomas Bispham, Peter Parr,
Geoffrey Birchall, and Alex-
ander Leigh. 88 In 1717 the
following, as 'papists,' regis-
tered estates here : John Gerard of Ashton, John
Howard, Richard Mather, and Robert Rothwell of
Winstanley.* 9 The principal landowners in 1787,
according to the land tax returns, were William
Bankes, Edward Leigh, and Sir Robert Gerard, con-
tributing together about half of the sum total raised.
BISPHAM. Sable a sal-
tire between four hart?
heads cabossed erminois.
The Inclosure Award, with plan, is preserved in
the County Council offices at Preston.
A chapel of ease was built here in the
CHURCH time of Henry VIII at the cost of the
inhabitants, who also paid the priest's
wages. 30 At the beginning of Mary's reign James
Winstanley of Winstanley, ' minding utterly to destroy
the same chapel for ever, out of very malice and hate
that he had and bore towards the service of God,
which he perceived the Queen's majesty was minded
to advance and set forwards,' assembled a band of
twenty ' evil-disposed persons,' and forcibly carried off
the chalice and paten and other ornaments, broke the
windows, turned out forms and chairs and the like
furniture, and made it a barn, keeping his hay and
corn there by force. 31 There was ' no preacher ' at
Billinge in 15 go. 32 Eight years later the building
was found to be out of repair ; there were no books
but a Bible, the curate was ' no minister, but one
licensed to read.' No attempt had been made to
collect the is. a week fine for absence from the legal
services, nor were there any collections for the poor.
Very few came to the communion thrice yearly ; the
parishioners could not say the Catechism, and many
did not know the Creed, the Lord's Prayer, and com-
mandments. 33
The Commonwealth surveyors recommended that
the chapel should be made a separate parish church,
but this does not seem to have been carried out. 34
The minister in charge was ejected in I662. 34 The
old building was demolished and rebuilt in I7i7-i8. ss
The church has been of late considerably enlarged
under the direction of Mr. T. G. Jackson, R.A.
The oldest part of the building dates only from 1717,
and before the additions was a plain rectangle in
plan, 57 ft. by 37 ft., with a small eastern apse. The
elevations are very plain, divided on north and south
into four bays by shallow pilasters, with a round-
83 A pedigree, imperfect, was recorded
in 1665 ; Dugdale, Visit. (Chet. Soc.), 30.
John Billinge was in 1590 reported as
' soundly affected in religion ' Lydiate Hall,
246. He was a trustee in 1573, and
Richard Billinge was a freeholder in 1600.
His grandson, another Richard, recorded
the pedigree, being then 52 years of age.
As a 'papist* two-thirds of his estate fell
into the hands of the Parliamentary
authorities, and in 1652 the whole was
sequestered ; on inquiry it wag found that
his estate in Wigan parish had been
sequestered for recusancy, and that in
Ormskirk parish for recusancy and delin-
quency. Afterwards he petitioned to be
allowed to compound ; Royalist Comf>.
Papers, i,i 73 ; Cal. of. Com. for Compounding,
iv, 3102. His son John was aged 17 in
1665, and in 1691 Frances Bispham,
widow, purchased from John Billinge and
Margaret his wife, and Margery Billinge,
widow, the fi.th part of the manor of
Billinge, with houses, windmill, dovecote,
and lands in Billinge and Rainford ; Pal.
of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 226, m. 44.
This ' fifth part ' of the manor is named
in a later fine, Holt Leigh being posses-
or ; ibid. bdle. 368, m. 64.
88 This family may be the Winstanleys
of Blackley Hurst, a detached part of the
township of Winstanley.
34 In a recovery of the fourth part of
the manor of Billinge in 1729 Hugh
Holme was vouchee ; this was before his
marriage with the Bankes heiress 5 Pal.
of Lane. Plea R. 528, m. 8. It has
since descended like Winstanley ; ibid.
Aug. Assizes, 1803, R. 10.
25 Mascy of Rixton D.
96 Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.),
i, 240, 243.
John Wood in 1570 acquired lands in
Billinge, Windle, and Winstanley from
Richard Cowper, and ten years later made
further purchases from Ralph and Richard
Heaton ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle.
32, m. 51 ; 42, m. 143.
The Orrells of Turton held lands, as
appears by various suits recorded in Duca-
tus Lane. (Rec. Com.), i, 242.
For a Molyneux family, holding under
Fleetwood, see Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec.
Soc.), ii, 128.
a ? Norris D. (B.M.).
28 List in possession of W. Farrer, con-
taining also a catalogue of the charterers.
29 Engl. Catb. Nonjuron, 124, 125,
151. The son of Richard and Elizabeth
Mather is described as a Protestant. In
addition, Francis Estcourt of Birchley
registered an annuity of 33 from a house
in Ashton in Makerfield ; ibid. 151.
80 The documents referred to are print-
ed in Canon Bridgeman's Wigan Ch.
749-57-
The dedication of the chapel is un-
known. In the earliest record, 1539-40,
the priest in charge is called the vicar of
Billinge ; op. cit. 750. Nothing but ' one
little bell' belonged to it in 1552; Cb.
Gds. (Chet. Soc.), 75.
86
81 Wigan Ch. 751. It is possible that
the chapel was not used in the time
of Edward VI, there being no 'ornaments '
in 1552, and that James Winstanley had
acquired some title to the building, or
claimed a chief rent. As to his opponents,
it is obvious that they would use the argu-
ment most likely to move the queen. In
the will of James Winstanley of Winstan-
ley, made 12 Mar. 1555-6, and proved at
Chester 19 Dec. 1557, he expressed a
desire to be buried ' within the holy
sepulchre in the parish church of Wigan.'
83 Gibson, Lydiate Hall, 348 ; quoting
S.P. Dom. Eliz. ccxxxv, 4. A similar re-
port was made about 1610 ; Hist. MSS.
Com. Rep. xiv, App. iv, 1 3.
88 Wigan Ch. 754 ; Raines MSS. (Chet.
Lib.), xxii, 184.
84 Common-w. Cb. Surv. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), 62 ; the salary was
j5O. An augmentation of stipend to the
amount of ^30 was granted in 1656 ;
Plund. Mini. Accts. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and
Ches.), ii, 145. M Wigan Ch. loc. cit.
86 Ibid. Bishop Gastrell about this
time found the income of the curate to be
^34 os. 8J., of which 6 was paid by
the rector, and the remainder was the in-
terest of various benefactions, 1 5 coming
from Eddleston House, an estate be-
queathed by John Eddleston in 1672, and
containing a stone delph set for z. A
chief rent of i was payable to Mr.
Blackburn. One warden was appointed ;
Notitia Cestr. (Chet. Soc.), ii, 253.
WEST DERBY HUNDRED
WIGAN
headed window in each bay, each window subdivided
by mullions into three lights. The walls are crowned
with an embattled parapet, with urns at intervals on
the parapet, and in the west front is the doorway,
with a window of semi-Gothic style over it. All
the work is very good of its kind, of wrought stone
without, and the fittings of oak, while a fine brass
chandelier hangs from the ceiling. Galleries put up
in 1823 have now been taken away. It has lately
been dedicated to St. Aidan. In 1765 the patronage
was disputed, but the rector of Wigan established
his right, and is the present patron. 37 The church
became parochial in l882. 38
The curates in charge and vicars have been as
follows 39 :
1609 Richard Bolton 40
1625 Edward Tempest
1626 Peter Travers
1646 John Wright"
c. 1686 Nathan Golborne"
1699 Edward Sedgwick
1704 John Horobin
1708 Humphrey Whalley
1749 Edward Parr
1763 Thomas Withnell
1776 Richard Carr
1813 Samuel Hall, 43 M. A. (St. John's Coll. Camb.)
1833 John Bromilow
1853 Howard St. George, M.A. (T.C.D.)
1898 Francis Broughton Anson Miller, M.A.
(Trinity Coll. Camb.)
There is a Wesleyan Methodist chapel at Higher
End, built in 1 845, and a Primitive Methodist one
in Chapel End.
If Billinge has afforded some evidence, though
questionable, of the existence of a vigorous Protestant-
ism in this part of the county as early as 1550, it also
affords evidence of the vitality of the ancient faith,
the Andertons of Birchley sheltering the missionary
priests. One of the earliest to labour here was the
Jesuit Roger Anderton, who served from 1645 until
his death fifty years later. 44 The present church of
St. Mary was built in 1828. A manuscript pre-
served in the presbytery contains the Forma Vivendi of
Richard Rolle of Hampole. 45
WINSTANLEY
Winstaneslege, 1212; Wynstanesleigh, 1252;
Wynstanlegh, 1292 ; Winstanislegh, 1293.
Winstanley is situated on the eastern lower slopes
of Billinge Hill, 440 ft. above sea level being reached,
on the edge of an extensive colliery district, several
coal-mines being found in the township itself. The
principal object in the landscape is the mass of trees
surrounding Winstanley Hall, the grounds of which
occupy nearly one-third of the whole area of the
township. The rest of the country is divided into
fields, usually separated by thin hedges, and sometimes
by low stone walls. The arable fields produce crops of
potatoes, oats, and wheat, whilst there are pastures
and meadows, with isolated plantations. The sur-
face soil is sandy, mixed with clay in places, with
sandstone rock not far from the surface.
The park is bounded on two sides by the roads
from Billinge to Wigan and from Haydock to Up-
holland, which cross at its southern point. The Lan-
cashire and Yorkshire Company's Liverpool and Wigan
Railway passes through near the northern boundary. A
colliery railway goes south-west through the township.
Withington lies in the north-west corner, and
Longshaw on the western boundary ; south of this is
Moss Vale. Two detached portions of the township
lie within Billinge Chapel End ; one of these is called
Blackley Hurst.
The township has an area of 1,859 ac* 65 * 1 and in
1901 the population numbered 564.
Thomas Winstanley, an Oxford scholar of some
distinction, was born in the township in 1749. He
became Camden Professor of History in 1790 and
held other university and college appointments. He
died in 1823.'* James Cropper, 1773 to 1840,
philanthropist, was also & native of Winstanley, 1 and
Henry Fothergill Chorley, 1808 to 1872, musical
critic and general writer, of Blackley Hurst. 3
The earlier stages of the history of the
M4NOR manor have been described in the account
of Billinge. 4 There are no materials at
present available for tracing the descent in the family
of Winstanley, which continued in possession until
the end of the i6th century. 8 Early in 1596 Ed-
mund Winstanley and Alice his wife sold the manor
W Wigan CA. 755.
M Ibid. 756 ; Land. Gaz.% Dec. 1882.
89 Wigan CA. 756, 757. The first
who was formally licensed to the cure
was Humphrey Whalley, in 1708. Most
of the earlier ones, therefore, except
during the Commonwealth, were pro-
bably curates of Wigan who read the ser-
vice at Biilinge on Sundays.
40 He was merely a 'reader* in 1609
(Raines MSS. xxii, 298), but contributed
to the subsidy of 1622 as curate; Misc.
(Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 65.
41 He was a 'very honest, godly minis-
ter, and of good life and conversation, but
kept not the fast day appointed by Act of
Parliament' ; Commonw. Cb. Sur-v. 63.
42 There is probably some error in
Canon Bridgeman's list at this point, as
Humphrey Tudor' s name does not appear
in Bishop Stratford's visitation list of
1691. In 1689 Nathan Golborne was
'minister' at Billinge, and was 'con-
formable' ; Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. xiv,
App. iv, 228. In Stratford's list he is
described as curate of Wigan, ordained in
1686. He is probably the Goulburn of
Canon Bridgeman. He was buried at
Warrington 12 Mar. 1691-2.
48 While at Billinge he renounced
Calvinism, became a Universalist, and
left the Established Church. He died in
1858 ; Axon, Mancb. Annals, 275. Later
he returned to the Church, but wai not
again bcneficed.
44 In 1717 the families in the chapelry
numbered 178, ten being 'papists' and
fourteen Dissenters (ten Presbyterian and
four Quakers). There were ninety-four
'papists' in 1767. See Gastrell, Notitia,
ii, 253 ; Trans. Hist. Soc. (new ser.),xviii.
45 Thedetails in this paragraph are chiefly
from the Liverpool Catb. Annual, 1901.
1 1, 860, including 29 of inland water ;
census of 1901.
la Diet. Nat. Biog. a Ibid. Ibid.
4 Roger de Winstanley held the manor
under the lord of Billinge in 1212 ; Lanes.
Inq. and Extents (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and
Ches.), i, 76. He was a contributor to
aids, &c. in the time of King John ;
Farrer, Lanes. Pipe R. 205, 230. As
Roger de Winstanley, son of Outi, he
made grants to Cockersand Abbey : (i)
Witlow Hurst, the bounds of which were
the Syke, Green Lache, Thornhurst Brook,
and Kempesbirines ; (2) another piece,
the bounds beginning at the road from
Northcroft to Sandyford on Budshaw
Brook; and (3) another, bounded by Eldeley
Brook and Thornhurst Brook to Green
Lache ; Cockersand Chart. (Chet. Soc.), ii,
654-8. The lands were granted by
the abbot to William de Burley, by a rent
of I2</., and los. as obit; William de
Whitlow held them in 1268, and James
de Winstanley, paying zs. t in 1461 ; ibid.
655-6.
6 Adam de Winstanley was in possession
in 1252 ; Final Cone, i, 114. By the
agreement he appears to have secured a
practical enfranchisement of his manor.
It was probably Roger his son who made
a grant to Cockersand of certain land
marked out by crosses ; this had been ex-
changed for other land held by Henry de
Billinge, and the exchange and donation
were confirmed by the lord of Newton in
1283 ; Cockersand Chart, ii, 658-60. Ro-
ger de Winstanley was a plaintiff in 1292
against Henry de Huyton ; Assize R.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
of Winstanley, with the coal mines and view of frank-
pledge, to James Bankes. 6 The purchaser, who
belonged to a Wigan family, 7 died 4 August 1617,
WlNSTANLEY. Or t-WO
bart azure and in chief
three crosses formy gules.
BANKES. Sable a crosi
or between four jteurs de
Us argent, a canton of the
second.
leaving a widow Susannah, and a son and heir Wil-
liam, then twenty-four years of age. The manor was
held of Sir Richard Fleetwood, baron of Newton, in
socage by a rent of 3/. 6d. ; the other possessions of
James Bankes included the manor of Houghton in
Winwick, and lands in Winstanley and adjacent town-
ships. 8 William Bankes, the heir, represented Liver-
pool in Parliament in 1675 ; 9 his son, another
William, represented Newton in Makerfield in 1 660 ; 10
the latter's son, also William, represented Wigan in
1679." The last William Bankes dying in 1689,
the manors passed to his brother Thomas's son and
grandson. 18 Thomas had also a daughter Anne, who
married Hugh Holme of Upholland in 1732, and
their descendants, assuming the name of Bankes, 13
ultimately acquired possession, retaining it until the
death of Meyrick Bankes in 1881. His daughter,
Mrs. Murray, was left a life interest in the estate, and
it was entailed in tail male on her sons. She re-
sumed her maiden name and died December 1907,
when her only surviving son George Bankes came
into the property."
Another branch of the Winstanley family 15 is
found at Blackley Hurst, a detached portion of the
township. Their lands were sold to Richard or
William Blackburne in 1617," and Blackley Hurst
was later acquired by the Gerards, owners of the
adjacent Birchley.
408, m. 44 d. ; and in the same year
Henry son of Roger de Winstanley and
Adam son of William de Winstanley were
defendants ; ibid. m. 36 d.
In 1305 Roger son of Roger de Win-
stanley recovered messuages and lands
from Richard son of William the Lewed,
Alice his wife, and Amota daughter of
Alice. Alice, it appeared, was the real
defendant ; her title came from a grant
by Robert de Huyton and William de
Winstanley ; Assize R. 1306, m. 19. In
1332 Roger de Winstanley contributed to
the subsidy ; Exch. Lay Subs. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), 26. Roger son of Roger
de Winstanley and Isolda his father's
widow had disputes in 1352 j Assize
R. 435, m. 29. Particulars of various
suits will be found in the account of
Billinge.
Hugh de Winstanley contributed to
the poll tax in 1 3 8 1 ; Exch. Lay Subs. bdle.
130, no. 24. In 1388 he had licence for
an oratory for two years ; Lich. Epis. Reg.
Scrope, vi, fol. 124. Henry de Winstan-
ley and Malin his wife made a grant of
land in Houghton in Winwick in 1400-1 j
Towneley MS. GG, no. 1007.
At the end of 1433 James de Winstan-
ley the elder granted to trustees all his
lands, &c., in Wigan, Winstanley, Pem-
berton, and Billinge ; these in the follow-
ing year were regranted to him with
remainder to his son James and Agnes his
wife ; ibid. no. 2857, 2224. In 1490-1
Gilbert Langton (of Lowe in Hindley), as
trustee enfeoffed Gilbert Langtree, James
Molyneux, rector of Sefton, and Robert
Langton, son of the grantor, of his manor
of Winstanley and all his lands in Win-
stanley, Wigan, Orrell, and Billinge, then
occupied by Agnes mother of Edmund
Winstanley, and by Randle and Robert
Winstanley. After Edmund's death the
manor and lands were to descend to James
the son and heir of Edmund, with re-
mainder to James's brother Humphrey ;
ibid. no. 2537. Edmund Winstanley was
tenant of the Cockersand lands in 1501 ;
Rentale de Cockersand (Chet. Soc.), 5.
Richard Crosse of Liverpool in 1493
agreed to marry Elizabeth daughter of
Edmund Winstanley ; Towneley MS.
GG. no. 2250 ; Visit, of 1567 (Chet.
Soc.), 107.
Humphrey Winstanley was recorded
among the gentry of the hundred in
1512. A marriage agreement between
him and Evan Haydock in 1505 is in
Towneley MS. GG. no. 1534. For the
child marriage of Humphrey Winstanley
and Alice sister of James Worsley, see
F. J. Furnivall's Child Marriages (Early
Engl. Text Soc.), 2.
6 Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 59,
m. 348. The remainder of the holding
included forty messuages, five water-
mills, two dovecotes, 300 acres of land,
100 acres of meadow, common of pasture
for all cattle, and various houses and
lands.
Edmund Winstanley is mentioned in
the Visit, of 1567, pp. 24, 107. He was
steward of the rector of Wigan in 1575 ;
Wigan Ch. 145. There is a deed of his
in Towneley MS. GG, no. 2635.
7 A pedigree was recorded in 1664
(Dugdale, Vis.it. [Chet. Soc.], 26), and
there are later pedigrees in Gregson's
Fragments (ed. Harland), 232 ; Burke,
Commoners^ iv, 213 ; Baines, Lanes, (ed.
Croston), iv, 306.
In 1588 William Bankes purchased a
house and lands in Wigan and Ince from
Miles Gerard and Grace his wife ; Pal. of
Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 50, m. 171. Five
year* later James Bankes made a pur-
chase in Aspull and Wigan, and in 1597
he and Susan his wife made a sale or
mortgage, Francis Sherington being the
plaintiff in the fine; ibid, bdles. 55, m.
127 ; 58, m. 220.
8 Lana. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Ches.), ii, 97-9.
9 Pink and Beaven, Lanes. Parl. Repre-
sentation, 191. He was then 91 years
of age. William Bankes in 1631 paid
j 1 2 on refusing knighthood ; Misc. (Rec.
Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 213.
10 Pink and Beaven, op. cit. 281.
11 Ibid. 229 ; he was a Whig. Some
of his letters are printed in Hist. MSS.
Com. Rep. xiv, App. iv, 128, &c.
12 Thomas's son Robert was sheriff in
1742 ; his grandson William (son of Wil-
liam) in 1784; P.R.O. List of Sheriffs,
74. William Bankes died in 1800, with-
out issue, and the estates passed to his
cousin, the Rev. Thomas Holme of Up-
holland, whose mother's monument in
88
Upholland Church states that she died
2 June 1799, aged 93 ; Wigan Cb. 747.
Thomas Holme was incumbent of Up-
holland from 1758 to 1767 ; ibid. 749.
Several of the family have been benefac-
tors to the poor.
is Meyrick son of Thomas Holme
took the surname of Bankes in 1804 ; he
was sheriff in 1805 ; P.R.O. List, 74.
14 A view of the hall, about 1816, is
given in Gregson, Fragments (ed. Har-
land), 231.
15 An undated fragment of a pedigree
in Piccope's MS. Pedigrees (Chet. Lib.), ii,
fol. 18, gives the succession : James 35.
Ottiwell s. James, ' said to be an alms
knight at Windsor."
A Humphrey Winstanley about 1560
married Jane, a daughter of William
Heaton, and had disputes with the An-
dertons and Heatons ; Ducatus Lane. (Rec.
Com.), ii, 236 ; iii, 12, 13.
16 Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 90, no.
41 ; bdle. 91, no. 27 ; in the former
James Sorocold was plaintiff, and in the
latter Richard Blackburne was joined with
him. James Winstanley and Margaret
his wife were deforciants ; the property is
described as the manors of Winstanley
and Billinge, with various lands, &c., in
these townships and in Ashton.
William Blackburne in 1631 paid ^10
on refusing knighthood ; Misc. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), i, 213.
The Blackburnes, a Protestant family,
near relations of those of Newton, Orford,
and Hale, long continued in possession.
They had an estate Crow Lane in
the parish of Winwick, and a burial place
there, for in the registers are records of
the burials of Thomas Blackburne of
Blackley Hurst, 9 Feb. 1664-5 5 Jhn,
18 Dec. 1666, see Roger Lowe's Diary ;
William son of John (of Billinge), 14
July 1719; William, 21 Dec. 1724;
Anne wife of John, i May 1745 ; and
John, 2 Apr. 1766, aged 89 ; then Black-
burne son of Mr. Gildart of Blackley
Hurst, aged 2, 23 Dec. 1767 ; John
Gildart of Billinge, 13 Feb. 1771-2 ; and
Jane Creighton, of Blackley Hurst, aged
86, 20 Jan. 1795. Sophia daughter and
sole heir of John Gildart of Blackley
Hurst married Major Richard Jones, a
son of the fourth Viscount Ranelagh ;
WEST DERBY HUNDRED
WIGAN
In 1600 the freeholders were James Bankes, Ed-
mund Atherton, and James Winstanley of Blackley
Hurst. 17 William Bankes and William Blackburne
contributed to the subsidy of i6z8. 18 William
Bankes, Thomas Blackburne of Blackley Hurst, clerk,
and the heirs of James Winstanley of Hough Wood,
contributed in i663. 19 A number of Winstanley
Quakers were in 1670 convicted as 'Popish recu-
sants,' two-thirds of their properties being sequestra-
ted. 20 Thomas Marsh, John Buller, William Jameson,
and Thomas Appleton, as ' papists,' registered estates
here in
ORRELL
Horul, 1212 ; Orel, 1292 ; Orhull, 1294 ; Orul,
1307.^
This township, sometimes called Orrell in Maker-
field, to distinguish it from Orrell in Sefton parish,
has an area of 1,617^ acres. 1 It is divided from Up-
holland on the west by Dean Brook, flowing through
a pleasantly- wooded dingle to join the Douglas, which
forms the northern boundary. It is situated on the
eastern slope of the ridge of high ground stretching
north from Billinge to Dalton. The country is open
and varied, and consists of pasture land and fields,
where the crops are chiefly potatoes, wheat, and oats.
Towards the south the country is even more bare and
treeless as it merges into the colliery district. The
soil is clay with a mixture of sand, over a foundation
of hard stone. The town of Upholland is partly
situated in this township, and the Abbey Lake, a small
sheet of water, is the rendezvous of picnic parties and
excursions from the larger towns in the neighbourhood,
such a lake being attractive on account of the scarcity
of water in the district.
The principal road is that from Ormskirk to Wigan,
which passes through the township from west to
east, and is crossed by a road leading northwards
from St. Helens to Standish. Orrell Mount, over
300 ft., and Orrell Post are to the east of the
point where the roads cross ; to the south-west is
Far Moor, and to the north Ackhurst. Lamberhead
Green lies on the eastern edge, partly in Pemberton.
The Lancashire and Yorkshire Company's Liverpool
and Wigan line crosses the southern corner of the
township, having a station there called Orrell ; the
same company's Wigan and Southport line passes
through the northern portion, close to the Douglas,
with a station called Gathurst.
The population in 1901 numbered 5,436.
Nail-making is carried on, and there is a cotton
mill. Roburite is made at Gathurst. In 1787 there
were coal mines working under five different owner-
ships. 2
A local board was formed in i872. s The town-
ship is now governed by an urban district council of
twelve members.
Before the Conquest, as afterwards,
M4NOR ORRELL was the extreme north-west
berewick of the manor or fee of Newton
in Makerfield/ and it remained a member of it until
the 1 7th century. 6 The available materials for its
history are but scanty. At the survey of 1 2 1 2 it was
held in thegnage by Richard de Orrell as half a plough-
land, by the service of i os, rent and finding a judge ;
this was an arrangement ' of ancient time.' 6 There
was an ancient subordinate holding, William holding
half an oxgang after giving Thomas de Orrell two ox-
gangs in free marriage in the time of King Richard.
Richard de Orrell himself had recently given one
oxgang to his brother John, and previously 4 acres to
the Hospitallers. 7 Soon afterwards grants were made
to Cockersand Abbey by Richard de Orrell and John
his son. 8
Gent. Mag. 1785, ii, 747. She died in
1803 without issue.
The following members of the family
matriculated at Oxford, Brasenose College:
William son of William Blackburne of
Billinge, plebeian, i6z6, aged 17 (after-
wards vicar of Chartbury) ; Richard son
of William, 1633, aged 21 ; Thomas son
of William, of Blackley Hurst, 1639,
aged 18 (B.D. 1661) ; John son of Wil-
liam, of Billinge, 1640, aged 18 (B.D.
1662) ; Foster's Alumni.
William son of Thomas Blackburne
occurs in 1673 in the account of Newton
in Makerfield.
William Blackburne, of Blackley Hurst,
John his son and heir apparent, and Wil-
liam the son of John, are all mentioned
in a lease enrolled in 1718 ; Piccope MSS.
(Chet. Lib.), iii, fol. 200, from 2nd R. of
George I at Preston.
A Roger Rigby of Blackley Hurst,
brother of Edward Rigby of Burgh, was
in 1 5 90 reported as ' evil given in religion ' ;
Lydiate Hall, 250.
*l Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.),
i, 239, 242. Edward Winstanley and
Humphrey Atherton had a dispute con-
cerning lands in Winstanley in 1593 ;
Ducatus Lane. (Rec. Com.), iii, 291, 319. A
settlement of lands in Billinge was made
in 1596, Humphrey Atherton and Alice
his wife, and Edmund, the son and heir,
being deforciants ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of
F. bdle. 59, m. 21.
Edmund Atherton of Winstanley died
in 1613 holding land in Billinge of the
Baron of Newton ; Humphrey his son
and heir was four years old ; Lanes. Inq.
p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 277.
From deeds in the possession of W.
Farrer it appears that Romeshaw House
was part of the Atherton estate.
" Norris D. (B.M.).
19 Schedule in possession of W. Farrer.
A William Blackburne of Blackley Hurst
is also named.
30 Local Glean. Lanes, and Cbes. i, 234,
where lists referring to this and neigh-
bouring townships are printed.
ffl Engl. Catb. Nonjurors, 97, 125, 135,
151. Appleton's house was called The
Riddings.
1 Including 7 acres of inland water ;
Census of 1901.
9 Land tax returns at Preston. The
owners were William German, Blundell &
Co., Hardcastle & Co., Rev. Thomas
Holme, and Richard Culshaw & Co.
8 Land. Gaz. 21 June 1872.
4 y.C.H. Lanes, i, 286.
5 See the various inquisitions of the
Langtons ; e.g. Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Chet.
Soc.), i, 138 ; ii, 99; ibid. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), i, 105.
6 Lanes. Inq. and Extents (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), i, 76. Richard de Orrell
occurs from 1201 in the Pipe R. (Lanes.
Pipe R. 152, 179, <fec.), but it appears
from the Survey that he had been in
posseition in the time of Henry II.
7 Lanct. Inq. and Extents, loc. cit.
The grant to the Hospitallers is not
mentioned in the list of their lands
in the Plac. de Quo War. (Rec. Com.),
375, nor in the rental of 1540; but in
1617 James Bankes of Winstanley held
a messuage and various lands in Orrell,
with common of pasture, of William, Earl
of Derby, as of his manor of Woolton, by
i zd. rent ; these were probably the Hos-
pitallers' lands ; Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec.
Soc.), ii, 98.
8 Cockersand Chart. (Chet. Soc.), ii,
651-4. Richard de Orrell granted a piece
of land between Clamsclough and Bradley
Brook, and between the Douglas and Os-
bernlea.
John son of Richard de Orrell granted
Haselenhurst ; from Bradley Brook where
Small Brook enters it, up to the syke
dividing the Cockersand land from that of
William de Orrell, following the syke to
Small Brook, and down this to the start.
This land had been previously granted to
Adam son of Robert ; the charter state*
that Bradley Brook flowed down from
Swithel Hills.
William son of Leising released his
claim in these lands to the canons.
In 1501 Robert Orrell held a portion of
the abbey's lands, and the heirs of Robert
Holland the remainder, for a total rent
of izd. ; Cockersand Rental (Chet. Soc.),
4, 5-
The Cockersand lands here, as elsewhere,
appear to have been granted to Thomas
Holt.
12
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
Before the end of the century, in what way does
not appear, the manor was acquired by the Holands
of Upholland, 9 from whom it descended, like their
other manors, to the Levels, 10 and, after forfeiture, to
the Earls of Derby."
William, the sixth earl, sold it to William Orrell
of Turton, 11 and the latter soon after sold to the
Bisphams, lords of part of the adjacent manor of
Billinge ; ls then by marriage it descended to Thomas
Owen, 14 and to Holt Leigh of Wigan. 15 His son,
Sir Roger Holt Leigh, of Hindley Hall in Aspull,
left it to his cousin, afterwards Lord Kingsdown, for
life, and then to the present owner, Mr. Roger
Leigh of Aspull. 16
The Orrell family had numerous offshoots, but the
relationships cannot be traced. The survey of 1212,
quoted above, shows that there were then two subor-
dinate holdings of one-eighth and a quarter of the
manor. The former may have descended to the
Orrells of Turton, 17 and the latter may be the holding
of Alexander Orrell of Orrell Post, whose land in
1607 was held by a rent of 3/. 18
The freeholders in 1 600 were the Alexander Orrell
just named, William Prescott, and Thomas Tipping. 19
James Bankes of Winstanley also held lands here in
1618"
About the same time another family, the Leighs of
Ackhurst, are mentioned, continuing down to the
9 Robert de Holand was lord in 1292 ;
Assize R. 408, m. 37 ; Final Cone. (Rec.
Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 173.
In 1307 Robert de Holand desiring to
give a plough-land in Orrell to the chap-
lain of Upholland, inquiry was made on
behalf of the king ; the manor of Orrell
was found to be held of John de Langton
and Alice his wife by the service of icw. ftd.
an increase of 6d. and doing suit at
the court of Newton in Makerfield from
three weeks to three weeks ; Lanci. Inq.
and Extents, i, 322.
At a later inquiry in 1324 the same
statement was made as to the tenure ; the
value of the manor was 6 6s. T&d. ;
Inq. a.q.d. 1 8 Edw. II, no. 68. See also
Inq. p.m. 47 Edw. Ill (ist nos.), no. 19.
10 Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Chet. Soc.), ii, 2.
11 Pat 4 Hen. VII, 25 Feb. ; Duchy
of Lane. Inq. p.m. v, no. 68. In 1 597 the
deforciants of the manors of Orrell and
Dalton were William, Earl of Derby, and
Edward Stanley ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F.
bdle. 58, m. 254.
12 Bridgeman, Wigan Ch. (Chet. Soc.),
257 ; see further below.
18 See Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc.), i,
200, in 1607. William Bispham died in
1639 holding the manor of Orrell of the
king as of his manor of East Greenwich ;
Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xxx, no. 97.
14 See the account of Billinge.
15 See the account of Aspull.
16 Burke, Landed Gentry.
^ In 1292 Adam sou of William de Or-
rell, asserting that he was lord of an eighth
part of the vill, complained that Robert
de Holland and Robert his son had dis-
seised him of his free tenement in Orrell.
Some of the waste had been improved by
the elder Robert, and it was shown that
sufficient pasture had been reserved for the
commoners ; thus Adam lost his case 5
Assize R. 408, m. 37.
In 1334 William Hert and Emma his
wife, Roger Hert and Agnes his wife the
wives being granddaughters (or daughters)
and heirs of Adam de Orrell claimed
lands in Orrell against Henry de Orrell
and the brothers Roger and William de
Orrell, Henry alleging a grant by Adam ;
Coram Rege R. 297, m. 103.
18 In 1530 there wat a recovery of
the manor of Orrell by William Orrell,
sen., against William Orrell, jun. ; Pal.
of Lane. Plea R. 151, m. i. William
Orrell of Orrell claimed against John
Orrell of Turton in 1551 a messuage and
lands in Orrell, as heir of a certain Robert
Orrell, giving his pedigree thus : Robert
s. John s. Peter bro. Henry .
William ; ibid. R. 191, m. 12.
In disputes which arose in the time of
Elizabeth are numerous details regarding
this manor.
It was tated that William Orrell of
Orrell was seised of a capital messuage
called the Hall of Orrell, a water corn-
mill, and lands in Orrell, by descent from
his ancestors. About 1558 he conveyed
the estate to Hugh Anderton, from whom
it passed to Richard Chisnall of Gray's
Inn, and then to Sir Robert Worsley, who
gave it to his son Robert. The younger
Robert, at the desire of William Orrell,
assured the premises to Gilbert Shering-
ton of Gray's Inn, who about 1570 sold
to Francis Sherington and Katherine his
wife. Two years later William Orrell
was charged with forging deeds to regain
possession, his son John being an accom-
plice, and ' they went to the said premises,
shooting arrows at the said Katherine and
her servants ' ; Duchy of Lane. Plead.
Eliz. bcxxviii, S. 18.
From another document it appears that
Sir Robert Worsley, about 1558, was the
owner of Orrell Hall and conveyed it to
William Orrell, who bought out the in-
terest of Thomas Molyneux in part of the
estate. It is not clear whether Sir Ro-
bert's title arose from a purchase from the
grantee of Upholland Priory, or from a
sale (or mortgage) by William Orrell ;
ibid. Ixxiii, O. 4. The money to be paid
to Sir Robert Worsley was 280. Gil-
bert Sherington paid this ; William Orrell
was to be tenant for life, and his son
Thomas released all his interest in the
estate ; ibid, xciii, O. i.
Somewhat earlier, in 1549, James An-
derton had purchased lands in Orrell from
William Orrell ; PaL of Lane. Feet of F.
bdle. 13, m. 66. James died shortly
afterwards holding lands in Orrell of the
Earl of Derby by a rent of 31. a year ;
Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. ix, no. 14. In
April 1555 Hugh Anderton, the son and
heir of James, purchased a messuage,
water-mill, &c., from William Orrell ;
Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle, 15, m. at.
Two years later Richard Chisnall secured
the same from Hugh Anderton and Alice
his wife ; ibid. bdle. 17, m. 71.
A settlement by William Orrell and
Thomas his son and heir-apparent was
made in 1561; ibid. bdle. 23, m. 193.
Sir Robert Worsley, his son and heir Ro-
bert, whose wife was Elizabeth, made a
settlement two years later ; ibid. bdle. 25,
m. 225. Gilbert Sherington's purchase
took place in 1569 ; the deforciants being
Robert Worsley and Elizabeth his wife,
William Orrell and Margaret his wife, and
William Stopforth and Blanche his wife ;
ibid. bdle. 31, m. 200.
There were perhaps two estates ; Or-
rell Hall held under the priory and then
under Worsley, and sold to Sherington ;
and another held under the Earl of Derby
and sold to James Anderton. If so, the
90
latter was perhaps regained by the Orrells,
the rent (3*.) being the same in 1552 and
1607. In 1567 John Orrell conveyed an
estate to feoffees ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of
F. bdle. 29, m. 85. He seems to have
been the great-grandfather of Alexander
(son of John) Orrell, who, as a minor, in
1587 complained that Elizabeth, wife of
John Rivington, and widow of the elder
John Orrell, was detaining part of his es-
tate ; Duchy of Lane. Plead. Eliz. cxlii,
O. 2. This is no doubt the Alexander
Orrell who died in 1607, leaving a son
and heir Ralph, aged eighteen in 1612 ;
Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and
Ches.), i, 199.
The former, Orrell Hall, was retained
by the Sheringtons. In 1601 William
Orrell of Turton, having purchased the
manor, had disputes with Katherine,
widow of Francis Sherington, as to her
coal mine in Harre hey adjoining the
High Street in Orrell. The latter com-
plained that William Orrell had dug a pit
in the highway and made a passage to her
mine, had caused the water from the
ditch to flow into it, and had stopped up
the gate through which her coals were
carried. He replied that Katherine's
messuage was held of the manor, which he
had demised to his brother Richard, of
London ; and that she had taken coals
from his land ; Duchy Plead. Eliz. cxcv,
S. 10 ; cciv, O. i ; ccv, S. 27.
In 1650 Edward Rigby, who held Or-
rell Hall of Francis Sherington of Booths
at a rent of ,38, petitioned the Parlia-
mentary Commissioners for relief. Sher-
ington's estate had been sequestered in
1643, and from that time Rigby paid his
rent to the sequestrators ; but when Prince
Rupert was in the county (1644) Shering-
ton took him prisoner, made him pay
n 55., and seized his goods, &c., the
place being within 3^ miles from Lathom.
He desired that Sherington might not be
allowed to compound until he had satisfied
him ; Cal. of Com. for Compounding, ii,
1192.
19 Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i,
242-3. Thomas Prescott died in 1591,
holding a messuage, shop, and lands in
Orrell and Upholland of the queen as of
the late priory of Upholland, by a rent of
iifed. His son William was thirty-five
years of age ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m.
xv, no. 7.
William Prescott occurs 1597 ; Pal. of
Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 58, m. 223. He
died in 1601 leaving a son Thomas, one
year old ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xviii,
no. 21.
20 Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc.), ii, 97 ;
part was held of Richard Fleetwood, and
part, as already stated, of the Earl of
Derby.
WEST DERBY HUNDRED
WIGAN
middle of the 1 8th century. 21 They were recusants
and incurred the usual penalties. Emma, or Emeren-
tia, Leigh, widow, Margaret and Catherine Leigh,
spinsters, and their sister, Anne Sandford, widow,
registered their estates in xyiy. 22 Thomas Duxon
and William Tarleton were the other ' papists ' who
did the same. 83
Orrell was formerly considered part of the chapelry
of Upholland. Recently, in connexion with the
Established Church, St. Luke's Chapel-of-ease has
been erected.
The Wesleyans and Primitive Methodists have
chapels in the township, as also have the Welsh Cal-
vinistic Methodists.
Salem Chapel, built in 1824, belongs to the Con-
gregationalists, who formed a church here about 1805
and erected a temporary chapel about 1 8 1 o. The
building is still called John Holgate's Chapel, from
the name of one of the early ministers, 1820-50. A
later minister conformed to the Established religion,
an occurrence which almost ruined the Congregational
interest. 24
The Roman Catholic mission was founded at Cross-
brook in 1 699 and removed to the present site at Far
Moor in 1805 ; the church of St. James was enlarged
in 1841, and a bell- tower erected in 1882. There is a
burial-ground attached. 25 Anne Sandford in 1740 gave
jioo to the mission with an obligation to say mass
for herself, her mother, and two sisters. 26 A convent
of French Benedictine nuns, driven out of their
country by the Revolution, in the first half of last
century occupied the house at Orrell Mount, but
afterwards removed to Princethorpe, Warwickshire.
UPHOLLAND
Holland, Dom. Bk. ; Hollande, 1202 ; Holand,
1224 and common; Holande, 1279; Upholond,
1292 ; Upholland, xvi cent.
This township, distinguished by the prefix from
Downholland near Halsall, is the largest in the parish,
having an area of 4,685 acres. 1 The population in
1901 numbered 4,77 3. * From the northern and
eastern boundaries, formed by the River Douglas and
its affluent the Dean Brook, the surface rises rapidly to
a point near the middle of the western boundary,
where a height of about 550 ft. is attained. From this
a ridge extends southerly, the ground to the south-
west falling away continuously to the boundary, which
is formed by Raw Moss and Holland Moss. The
southerly aspect of the township is open and bare ;
on the north there are more trees as the land
dips down to the romantic valley of the Douglas.
The arable fields, many divided by stone walls, are
sown with oats and wheat, and potatoes are very
extensively grown. On the south and west there are
collieries and fire-brick works, whilst stone quarries
give work to a section of the inhabitants. The soil
appears to be chiefly sandy, clayey in places, a shaley
rock appearing now and again on the surface, but the
solid base is sandstone.
The 1 7th-century registers name many * coalers ' and
' delf men ' ; there were also nailers, linen-weavers,
glovers, watchmakers, and other craftsmen, whose
names are found in the township.
Upholland village, where the priory formerly stood,
lies on the eastern slope of the ridge, near the Orrell
boundary. Through it pass from east to west the
road from Wigan to Ormskirk, and from north to
south that from Chorley to St. Helens. The
village has a steep main street, with the church at
the south end, overlooking a wide open space of
churchyard on the north and east. Immediately south
of the church is the site of the claustral buildings, but
their remains, with a single exception, are buried in
the ground and have never been explored. The
houses of Upholland are from an architectural point
of view of little interest, except one, an early 1 7th
or late 16th-century house on the south side of
the main street, with mullioned windows and a
panel with the Stanley crest. To the north lie
Walthew Green, Roby Mill, and Holland Lees ;
to the west are Holland Moor, Birch Green, Dig-
moor, and Tawd Bridge, the River Tawd forming
a portion of the boundary at this point, and being
joined by Grimshaw Brook ; to the south and south-
west are Tontine, Pimbo, and Crawford. The Lan-
cashire and Yorkshire Company's railway from Liver-
pool to Wigan passes through the southern part of the
township, with a station at Pimbo Lane now called
Upholland.
Edward II stayed at Upholland for a fortnight in
October 1323, on his way from the north to Liver-
pool.*
The Local Government Act of 1858 was adopted
by the township in 1872.* The local board was,
in 1894, replaced by a district council of fifteen
members.
81 The inheritance of this family was
derived from Edmund Molyneux, mercer
of London, lord of Vange in Essex, who
died 31 Jan. 1615-16, seised of lands in
Orrell and Upholland, held of Richard
Fleetwood and of the king respectively.
His heir was James Leigh, son of his
ister Agnes, aged forty in 1618 ; Lanes.
Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), ii,
99. He was a benefactor of Wigan and
Upholland. His will is printed in Gis-
borne Molineux's Molineux Family, 143 ;
it shows that he was related to the Moly-
neuxes of Hawkley. An Edmund Moly-
neux and his wife Agnes had lands in
Orrell (apparently in the latter's right) in
1532 ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. n,
m. 192.
James Leigh and Margaret his wife,
with their daughters Alice, Jane, and
Ellen, were fined for recusancy in 1616.
James and Alexander Leigh also appear on
the recusant roll of 1641. James Leigh
had a small copyhold estate at Barking in
Essex sequestered for his recusancy by
the Parliamentary authorities, and sold in
1648 to Abraham Webb, apothecary-
general to the army ; Alexander Leigh,
the son and heir of James, afterwards
for 220 concurred in the sale. In 1619
he charged his lands in Orrell with a rent
of j6 1 31. \d. for the maintenance of the
grammar school at Wigan. Under the
Parliamentary rule, two-thirds of his es-
tate was sequestered for his recusancy.
He died in or before 1649, when his son
Alexander succeeded ; Royalist Comp.
Papers (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), iv,
8691 ; Cal. of Com, for Compounding, iv,
2564.
Alexander Leigh appears in the recusant
rolls down to 1667, and Richard Leigh,
9*
probably his son, to 1680. Two of Alex-
ander's sons, Philip and John Joseph, be-
came Jesuits ; the former was the author
of a Life of St. Winefride. See Gillow,
Bill. Diet, of Engl. Cath. iii, 191 ; Foley,
Rec. S.J. vi, 518, 516 ; vii, 448-50.
22 Engl. Catb. Nonjurors, 135, 124.
28 Ibid. 149, 126.
34 Nightingale, Lanes. Nonconformity, iv,
37. Daniel Rosbotham of Rainford in
1858 left ,200 towards the endow-
ment ; Wigan End. Char. Rep. 1899,
P- 57-
35 Liverpool Cath, Ann. 1901.
26 Gillow, op. cit. iv, 191.
1 4,686, including 9 of inland water ;
Census Rep. 1901.
2 Including Bank Top, Crawford, &c.
8 Cal. Close, 1323-7, pp. 25, 27, 28,
41.
4 Land. Cast. 13 Sept. 1872.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
A figure, probably of Cupid, dating from Roman
times was found here. 5
A fair, for pigs only, is held on Easter Mon-
day. There was formerly a market on Wednesday. 6
There were several crosses which have now disap-
peared. 7
In 1066 the manor of HOLLAND or
MANOR Upholland was held by Stein ulf; it was
assessed as two plough-lands and worth
64</.* Nothing further is known of its tenure until
1212, when it together with Melling was held in
thegnage by Henry de Melling ; of him Matthew
and Alan held the two plough-lands in Upholland by
a rent of \2s. a year. 9 Ten years earlier Matthew
de Holland or Holand, as the name was usually
spelt held fourteen oxgangs here, to which Uctred
de Church quitclaimed all his right. 10 Nothing
further seems to be known of Alan, the joint tenant
with Matthew. The latter was a benefactor of
Cockersand Abbey. 11
In 1224 Simon de Halsall quitclaimed to Robert
de Holland all his right in the two plough-lands in
Upholland. 11 The relationship of this Robert to his
predecessor Matthew does not appear in the records.
He was the ancestor of the great Holand family.
His last appearance was to answer a charge of setting
fire to one of the rector's houses in Wigan in 1241 ;
he and his son Thurstan were lodged in prison, but
released till the trial. 13
Thurstan is said to have married a daughter of
Adam de Kellet ; eventually the lordship of Nether
Kellet descended to his heirs by this wife. 14 He also
acquired lands in Hale, and large grants in Maker-
field. 14 Sir Robert de Holland, the son of Thur-
stan, who succeeded about 1276, married Elizabeth
daughter and co-heir of Sir William de Samles-
bury. 16
Robert's son and namesake, Sir Robert de Holland,
became one of the leading men in the county, being
a favourite official of Thomas, Earl of Lancaster, from
whom he secured an alteration in the tenure of Up-
holland, which does not seem to have been perma-
nent. 17 He extended his possessions by a marriage
with Maud, daughter and co-heir of Alan de la Zouch, 18
and had many grants from his patron the earl ; l9
some of these were held to be invalid. He was sum-
moned to Parliament as Lord Holland from 1314 to
1321. He took part in the earl's rebellion, and all
his lands were forfeited ; * he himself was murdered
in October 1328, it is said by followers of the earl
who regarded him either as a coward or a traitor. 21
Among his other acts was the foundation of the
priory at Upholland in 1310 to 1317." This was
practically the conclusion of the family's active interest
in the manor.
The forfeiture of the estates was in 1328 reversed
by Edward III, 23 and Holland descended regularly to
Sir Robert's son, Robert, who distinguished himself
8 Watkin, Roman Lanes. 230.
* It had long been discontinued in
1836 ; Baines, Lanes, (ist ed.), iii, 561.
7 Lanes, and Ches. Anti<j. Soc. xix, 237.
V.C.H. Lanes. I, 284*.
9 Lanes. Inq. and Extents (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), i, 1 5.
10 Final Cone. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and
Ches.), i, 14. The two oxgangs not
accounted for may have been Alan's
portion.
11 Cockersand Chart. (Chet. Soc.), ii, 610.
The boundaries of his donation began at
the head of the Ridge on the division be-
tween Holland and Dalton, followed this
division as far as Black lache, and by Black
lache, Rutand Clough, Green lache, Pool
lache, to the syke between St. Mary's
land and the assart of Outi ; then by the
carr beyond the Ridge to the starting
point. He added an assart called Lithe-
hurst, lying between Philip's boundary
and Hawk's Nest Clough. The ease-
ments included oak mast and shealings
(scalingis). The ' St. Mary's land ' men-
tioned was perhaps the abbey's land in
Dalton.
12 Final Cone, i, 47.
18 Cur. Reg. R. 121, m. 25 d., 26 d., 32.
The result is not given. Robert de Hol-
land granted to Cockersand Abbey all the
land which Hugh and Wronow held of
him in Bothams, on the boundary of
Dalton, and apparently adjoining that
granted by Matthew de Holland ; Chart.
ii, 611.
14 See Final Cone, ii, 118. Thurstan
de Holland was one of the jurors as to
those liable to contribute to the Gascon
scutage in 1242-3 ; Lanes. Inq. and
Extents, i, 146.
In 1246 Thurstan de Holland was ac-
quitted of having disseised Amice, wife of
Thomas de Pendlebury, of 16 acres in
Upholland ; Assize R. 404, m. i.
In 1268 Thurstan de Holland, his
brothers Matthew, Richard, Robert, and
William, and his son Robert, were sum-
moned to answer a charge of trespass ;
Cur. Reg. R. 186, m. 23d.; 190, m.
i6d.
As Sir Thurstan de Holland he wit-
nessed a charter to Stanlaw in 1272 ;
Whalley Coucher (Chet. Soc.), ii, 585.
There were other families bearing the
local surname ; thus in 1258 Christiana,
daughter of Adam de Holland, claimed
6 oxgangs of land in Holland from
Roger, Henry, and William, sons of Adam
de Holland ; Cur. Reg. R. 160, m. 5, 32.
15 See the accounts of Hale, Pemberton,
Haydock, Golborne, and Lowton.
16 Robert de Holland and Elizabeth his
wife occur in 1276 ; Assize R. 405, m. 2.
By his marriage he acquired part of the
manor of Harwood and other lands ;
Lanes. Inq. and Extents, i, 313 ; Final
Cone, i, 173 ; ii, 193. He is supposed
to have died about 1304.
17 In 1295 Upholland seems still to
have been dependent upon Melling, for
the heirs of Jordan de Hulton were respon-
sible for the 1 2s. rent ; Lanes. Inq. and
Extents, i, 288.
Thomas, Earl of Lancaster, by his
charter granted to Robert de Holland and
Maud his wife the manors of Upholland,
Hale, &c., to hold of the chief lords by
the services due, and further by the ser-
vice of distributing each year for the earl's
soul on St. Thomas the Martyr's Day, and
on Christmas Day, to the poor folk coming
to the manor house of Upholland, 20
heaped-up measures of wheaten flour, and
ox, swine, and calf flesh to the value of
10 ; and of providing a repast of two
courses for 240 poor persons in the hall
of Upholland, on the same feast, to be
served on dishes after the manner of
gentlefolk, and a repast of one course
the following day, a pair of shoes, or 4</.,
being given to each of the guests on de-
parting ; Duchy of Lane. Misc. vol. cxxx,
fol. 14 d.
92
The endowment of the priory may have
been a commutation.
" Robert son of Robert de Holland had
lands in Pemberton and Orrell settled upon
him by his father in 1292 ; Final Cone, i,
173. In 1304 a grant of free warren in
Upholland, Hale, Orrell, and Markland
was made to Robert de Holland ; Chart.
R- 97 (3 2 Edw. I), m. 3, no. 48.
In 1307 Sir Robert de Holland desired
to assign two messuages and two plough-
lands in Holland, and land in Orrell to
two chaplains in his chapel at Holland to
celebrate for his soul and the souls of his
ancestors for ever. It was found upon
inquiry that the manor was held of Adam
de Pennington who was perhaps a trus-
tee or a representative of the Melling
family ; he does not occur again Adam
holding of the Earl of Lancaster, and the
earl of the king ; Lanes. Inq. and Extents,
i, 322.
In 1308 Robert de Holland had licence
to crenellate his manor house at Uphol-
land ; Cal. Pat. 1307-13, p. 57.
The account of the family is mainly
taken from G.E.C.'s Complete Peerage, iv,
236.
19 See the account of West Derby ;
Ormerod, Ches. (ed. Helsby), iii, 851.
There are numerous details in the Calen-
dars of Close and Patent Rolls.
20 In 1325 the forfeited manor wa
held by Amota, widow of Simon de Hol-
land ; Cal. Close, 1323-7, p. 391.
In an account of Sir Robert's lands
made about 1326 the manor of Holland
with garden and castle-stead is recorded ;
Duchy of Lane. Misc. x, fol. 15.
31 For some account of his proceedings
in Lancashire see Coram Rege R. 254,
fol. 60.
22 Dugdale, Man. iv, 409-12.
28 Parl. R. i, 400 ; ii, 1 8 ; Cal. Close,
1327-30, p. 286. Ct. R. of 1326 are
printed in Lanes. Ct. R. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), 73.
WEST DERBY HUNDRED
WIGAN
in the French wars, and died 16 March 1372-3 ; 14
and to the latter's granddaughter Maud, who married
John Lovel, fifth Lord Lovel of Titchmarsh. 15 She
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HOLLAND. Azure
semei de Us a lion ram-
pant guardant argent.
LOVEL. Barry nebu
lee of six or and gules.
survived her husband, and died 4 May 1423, holding
the manor of Upholland of the king as Duke of
Lancaster in socage by the ancient rent of izs. ; also
the manors of Halewood, Walton in West Derby,
Nether Kellet, half of Samlesbury, Orrell, and a
quarter of Dalton, burgages in Wigan and Lancaster,
and lands in Aughton, Cuerdley, and Ditton. The
other estates had descended to her father Robert's
brother John, as heir male, and he was succeeded by
Henry Holland, Duke of Exeter. 86
Lady Lovel's son John having died in 1414.
Upholland was inherited by her grandson William,
seventh Lord Lovel and fourth Lord Holland. It
descended on his death in 1455 to his son John,
Lord Lovel, who died ten years later, and then to
the latter's son and heir Francis, created Viscount
Lovel in 1483. Adhering to the cause of Richard III
he had many offices and honours bestowed upon him ;
but was attainted by Henry VII in 1485 and his
honours and lands were forfeited. Two years later
he fought on the Yorkist side at the battle of Stoke,
and was either killed there or died soon afterwards. 17
Upholland and the other forfeited manors were
retained by the Crown until 25 February 1488-9,
when they were granted to Thomas, Earl of Derby,
with the lands and manors of other Yorkists. 28 It
continued to descend with Lathom and Knowsley
until 1717, when it was sold by Lady Ashburnham,
as heir of William, the ninth earl, to Thomas
Ashhurst of Ashhurst in Dalton. 29 In 1751 Henry
Ashhurst sold it to Sir Thomas Bootle of Lathom, 3 *
and it has since descended with his manors, the Earl
of Lathom being the present lord. 31
After the foundation of the monastery the prior
were the chief residents within the manor. As r.~
the case of most other religious houses the extern ai
history was uneventful. 32 After the suppression of the
house by Henry VIII in 1536 the site and all the
lands were granted to John Holcroft, 33 who soon
transferred them to Sir Robert Worsley of Booths. 34
Seventy years later the site was owned by Edmund
BOOTLE. Gules On a
cJteveron engrailed be-
tween three combt argent
as many crosses formy
ftchyofthe field.
WILBRAHAM. Argent
three bendlett wavy gulet.
Molyneux of London," who bequeathed it to his
nephew, Richard Leigh." It is said to have been
acquired by the Bisphams of Billinge, and descended
with their estates to the Leighs of Orrell and
Aspull. 37
24 G.E.C. loc. cit. Robert was sixteen
years old in 1328 ; Cat. Close, 1327-30,
p. 348. From the fine above quoted
(Final Cone, ii, 193) it will be seen that
Sir Robert had three sons Alan, Robert,
and Thomas. Of Alan nothing further is
known, and it is supposed that he died
before the restoration of the honours.
Thomas married Joan daughter of Ed-
mund, Earl of Kent, and granddaughter of
Edward I ; he was summoned to Parlia-
ment as Lord Holland in 1353 and as
Earl of Kent in 1360; G.E.C. op. cit.
v, 237, 351, 352.
The inquiry made in June 1349, after
the death of Maud, widow of Robert de
Holland, showed that she had held the
manor of Upholland for her life, with re-
version to her son Robert and his heirs,
in socage by a rent of 121. ; and doing
suit to county and wapentake ; also the
manors of Hale, &c. ; Inq. p.m. 23 Edw.
Ill, pt. I, no. 58. She died outside the
county ; Sir Robert, her son, was of full
ge.
A similar return was made after the
death of Sir Robert in 1373. The heir
to Upholland and other manors was his
granddaughter Maud (daughter of his de-
ceased son Robert), wife of John Lovel,
and seventeen years of age. The heir to the
moiety of the manor of Haydock, &c.,
was his son John, aged twenty-four and
upwards ; Inq. p.m. 47 Edw. Ill (ist
nos.), no. 19. See also Surv. of 1346
(Chet. Soc.), 42.
Sir Robert in 1367 increased the en-
dowment of Upholland by a grant of
Markland in Pemberton and other lands ;
Inq. p.m. 41 Edw. Ill (2nd nos.), no. 12.
28 G.E.C. op. cit. iv, 236 ; v, 164-6,
from which this account of the Levels is
derived.
26 Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Chet. Soc.), ii, 1-3.
For the Exeter family see G.E.C. op. cit
iii, 296.
2 7 Diet. Nat. Biog.
28 Pat. 4 Hen. VII. There is a later
grant of this and other manors to James
Lord Strange; Pat. 13 Chas. I, pt. 27,
3 J ul y-
In the inquisition taken after the death
of Ferdinando, fifth earl, in 1595, it was
found that Upholland was still held by
the rent of izs. ; Add. MS. 32104, fol.
425.
29 James, Earl of Derby, seems to have
released his right in the manors sold, in
Sept. 1715 ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F.
bdle. 276, m. 52.
Thomas Ashhurst and Diana his wife
were in possession in 1721; Pal. of Lane.
Plea R. 512, m. 8.
Baines (ed. 1836) gives the date 1717,
apparently from the Lathom D. ; iii, 559.
so Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 347,
m. 26.
81 See the account of Lathom.
93
82 In 1350 Prior John took action
against a number of men who had in-
vaded his lands ; De Banco R. 363, m.
92 d. ; 364, m. 78 d.
83 Dugdale, Man. iv, 411; Pat. 37
Hen. VIII, pt. iv, 22 May ; the price
was ,344 I2J. \od.
In 1592 an annual rent from the site
and demesnes of Holland Priory was
granted to William Tipper and Richard
Dawe ; Pat. 34 Eliz. pt. iv.
84 Man. iv, 409 n. ; from Orig. 38
Hen. VIII, pt. v, Lane. R. 118 ; Lanes,
and Ches. Recs. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and
Ches.), ii, 385.
85 Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Ches.), ii, 99, where it is simply
called ' a messuage, mill, 50 acres of land,'
&c. in Upholland, held of the king by
knight's service.
88 Gisborne Molineux, Family of Moli-
neux, 143. Richard Leigh was brother
of James Leigh of Orrell. Edward Leigh
of the Abbey gave a rent-charge of ,5
a year for Upholland School ; Gastrell,
Notitia (Chet. Soc.), ii, 259. The Pres-
cott family also held land which had
belonged to the priory ; Duchy of Lane.
Inq. p.m. xv, no. 7 ; xviii, no. 21. The
site and lands of the priory were the
subject of suits in 1576 and 1580, Mar-
garet Parker being plaintiff; Ducatus
(Rec. Com.), iii, 46, 115.
9 ~ Baines, Lanes, (ed. 1836), iii, 560.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
Little can be said of the remains of the monastic
buildings. They were on the south of the church,
but did not, as it seems, join it except as regards the
western range of the claustral buildings. Part of the
west wall of this range is standing, enough to show
that it was of two stories with a row of narrow
windows on the west side. In the deed of grant to
John Holcroft in i 546 a chamber at the west end of
the church is mentioned, which may be that on the
south face of the tower, the roof corbels of which
still remain.
Sir John de Dalton and his accomplices, after
carrying off Margery de la Beche in 1347, took
refuge for a time in Dame Maud de Holland's manor
at Upholland, which was then vacant ; but fled north
on the arrival of the king's writ for his arrest. 38
Among the landowners in the township may be
named Hesketh," 9 Orrell, 40 Standish, 41 Crosse," and
Fairclough. 43 In 1 600 the only freeholder recorded
was Robert Smallshaw. 44 In 1628 William Whalley,
Roger Brownlow, and Richard Smallshaw, as land-
owners, contributed to the subsidy. 45 A family
named Holme were also settled here. Hugh Holme
of Upholland House in 1732 married Anne daughter
of Thomas Bankes of Winstanley, and her descend-
ants ultimately succeeded to the manors and lands of
the Bankes family. 40 Pimbo was held of the Earl
of Derby. 47 Though the Recusant Roll of 1641 con-
tains but few names of residents here 48 the Ven. John
Thewlis, a priest, executed for religion at Lancaster
in 1617, was a native of this township. 48a
The earliest record of a church of
CHURCH any kind is that concerning Sir Robert
de Holland's endowment of his chapel
in 1307." This was succeeded by the priory church,
which, after the destruction of the monastery, was
preserved for the use of the people, as a chapel of
ease to Wigan. 50 It appears to have been well fitted,
but the church goods were seized by the Crown, as
part of the priory,* 1 and in 1552 it was but poorly
furnished."
The church of ST. THOMAS THE MARTYR
stands at the south-east end of the village on sloping
ground, the churchyard, which lies on the north and
88 Chan. Inq. p.m. 21 Edw. Ill, no. 63.
89 The Heskeths of Rufford held various
properties in this and neighbouring town-
ships ; see Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. v,
no. 16. In 1555 Richard Hey acquired
a messuage and lands from Sir Thomas
Hesketh and Alice his wife ; this property
seems to have been secured in 1578 by
Robert Hey from James, the bastard son
of Richard ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F.
bdles. 1 6, m. 137 ; 40, m. 167. See also
Ducatus Lane. (Rec. Com.), iii, 145.
40 The families of this name make
frequent appearances. Henry Orrell was
a defendant in a suit respecting Dean
riddings in 1516 ; Ducatus, i, 127. Wil-
liam Orrell and Thomas his son were
deforciants in 1561 and 1562; Pal. of
Lane. Feet of F. bdles. 23, m. 193 ; 24,
m. 256. Lewis Orrell and Ellen his wife
in 1566 ; ibid. bdle. 28, m. 102.
41 George Standish of Sutton held land
in Upholland of the Earl of Derby by the
looth part of a knight's fee ; Duchy of
Lane. Inq. p.m. ix, no. 3 (6 Edw. VI).
William Standish, the grandson and heir
of George, had secured to him in 1561
the reversion of a tenement of Robert
son of Thomas Topping ; Pal. of Lane.
Feet of F. bdle. 23, m. 153. William
Standish and Margaret his wife made a
settlement in 1573 ; ibid. bdle. 35, m.
56. John, William's son and heir-ap-
parent, was joined with them in 1597;
ibid. bdle. 58, m. 26.
42 Roger Crosse of the Liverpool family,
in the time of Henry VIII, had copyhold
lands in Upholland of the Earl of Derby
at a rent of ijs. ; Duchy of Lane. Inq.
p.m. vi, no. 18 ; also x, no. 20. See
Crosse D. Tram. Hist. Soc. no. 165.
48 Oliver Fairclough purchased lands
from James Worsley and Beatrice his
wife in 1584 ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F.
bdle. 46, m. 10. Arthur Fairclough oc-
curs in 1613 ; Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec.
Soc.), i, 276.
Thomas Winstanley, clerk, and Thomas
Fairclough were in 1588 defendants in a
uit regarding Dean Mill in Upholland
and Orrell 5 Ducatus (Rec. Com.), iii,
199.
Dr. James Fairclough, 1636, and his
son James were benefactors; Notitia Cestr.
ii, 260.
44 Mite. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.),
i, 241. William and Robert Smallshaw
occur in fines of Elizabeth's reign ; Pal.
of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 26, m. 55, &c.
The name takes various forms, e.g.
Smoshay.
Thomas Chisnall acquired lands in Up-
holland in 1549 and 1559 ; Pal. of Lane.
Feet of F. bdles. 13, m. 73 ; 21, m. 90.
They appear to have descended to Ed-
ward Chisnall or Chisenhale, 1635 ;
Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xxviii, no. 8.
Norris D. (B.M.j. Henry Whalley,
as a landowner, contributed to a subsidy
in Mary's reign ; Mascy of Rixton D.
A later Henry Whalley died 31 July
1627 holding lands in Euxton, Tockholes,
and Upholland ; the last of William, Earl
of Derby. His son and heir William
was aged thirty and more ; Towneley
MS. C. 8, 13 (Chet. Lib.), 1288.
48 The surname Holme occurs early ;
in 1352 the executors of the will of John
de Holme of Holland are named ; Assize
R. 432, m. i d. Gilbert Scott of Wigan
married Elizabeth Holme of Upholland
before 1620 ; Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), ii, 238. There is a
pedigree in Burke, Commoners, iv, 216.
See the account of Winstanley and A. E. P.
Gray, Woodcock Ped. 13, 14.
4 ? Thomas Molyneux held the marled
earth and Russell's cliffs in Pimbo. His
widow Cecily, in or before 1598, married
Thomas Worden, and various suits fol-
lowed ; Ducatus (Rec. Com.), iii, 380,
&c.
48 Trans. Hist. Soc. (new ser.), xiv, 239.
Bishop Gastrell recorded no ' papists ' in
1717, but there were 216 in 1767 ; this,
however, is for the whole chapelry ;
ibid, xviii, 215.
48a Bishop Challoner, Missionary Priests,
ii, n. 155, relates his story from an
account published at Douay in 1617.
There is another contemporary account
in verse printed, together with extracts
from a poem by Thewlis himself, in
Pollen, Acts of Martyrs, 194-207. John
Thewlis was educated at Rheims and the
English College, Rome ; he entered the
latter in 1590, and was sent to England
as a priest two years later ; Foley, Rec.
Soc. Jesus, vi, 1 8 1, 117. He was for some
time imprisoned at Wisbech for religion ;
afterwards he laboured in Lancashire and
was arrested by order of William, Earl of
94
Derby, and condemned to death for his
priesthood. He escaped from Lancaster
Castle by the aid of a fellow-prisoner for
religion, Roger Wrennall, a weaver ; they
were captured and executed together, 1 8
Mar. 1616-17. It was with great re-
luctance that the authorities carried out
the execution ; the priest was at the last
moment begged to save his life by taking
the oath of allegiance, but to his challenge
' Write me out a form of oath which
contains nothing but civil allegiance and
I will take it' there could be but one
reply, that the Parliamentary form was
binding, and this impossible for him. One
of his quarters was exposed at Wigan.
The name is an uncommon one, but it
appears that the family was connected with
the Asshetons of Lever. A Christopher
Thewlis, alias Ashton, was at the English
College, and sent to England as a priest in
1585 ; Foley, op. cit. vi, 137.
49 Lanes, Inq. and Extents, i, 322, quoted
above.
50 Bridgeman, Wigan Cb. 744.
61 The inventory of the goods of the
priory of Upholland in 1536 is in Duchy
of Lane. Misc. n, no. 47. The plate
was valued at ,28 3*. cjd. ; some of the
pieces were in pledge to Geoffrey Shering-
ton of Wigan and others. The crosses,
vestments, and other church ornaments
were worth nearly ^12 ; the bells, ^8 ;
the lead (3 'foulders' weight), 10 ; and
the books, 6s. %d. These last included
four old mass-books, ' whereof two in
paper printed and two in parchment
written.' Then follows an account of
the furniture in the hall, parlour, great-
chamber with adjoining chapel, rooms,
kitchen, outhouses, dorter, &c. ; horses,
cattle, &c. ; carts and other gear, corn
and oats. The chambers of two monks
- John Codling and John Ainsdale had
furniture valued at icw. zd. and 91. iv/.
respectively ; the former monk had a
feather-bed and bolster ; the latter per-
haps the vicar of Childwall of that name
had a mattress and bolster.
The high altar had a tabernacle gilded,
and the altars adjacent had alabaster taber-
nacles. There were twenty-one great and
small images of wood and stone, and
' twelve fair windows glazed with divers
and many pictures.'
sa Cb. Gds. 1552 (Chet. Soc.), 75.
WEST DERBY HUNDRED
WIGAN
east sides, falling rapidly from west to east and allow-
ing the introduction of the vestry under the east end.
The building consists of chancel 32ft. 6 in. by
22 ft. 6 in., nave 80 ft. by 22 ft. 3 in., with north and
south aisles 1 1 ft. wide, and west tower 14 ft. by i6ft.,
all these measurements being internal. With the
exception of the chancel and the tower the building
is of 14th-century date, the original structure having
been planned as a T-shaped church with large
central western tower and transepts, the present nave
forming the chancel. Whether this plan was ever
carried out is extremely doubtful, and only excavation
on the west end could determine the extent of the
original building, if it were ever greater than at pre-
sent. It is probable, however, that the building
came to a standstill somewhere about the middle of the
1 4th century, perhaps during the Great Pestilence,
and that in this unfinished state it remained till late
in the I5th century, when the present west tower was
added in the rather clumsy manner now apparent.
In this form the church continued till late in the last
century, the sanctuary being formed in the easternmost
bay, inclosed on the north and south by low walls,
the evidence for which may still be seen in the
arcades ; but in 1882 (when a drastic restoration was
commenced), a new chancel was begun to the east,
and the building was brought to its present condition.
It may be assumed that the original chapel founded
here in 1307 was a small building, and that it stood
for some years after the foundation of the priory
twelve years later. There is no record, indeed, of
the erection of a church by the convent, but probably
a larger and more important building would be
thought necessary, and the present structure begun
towards the middle of the first half of the I4th
century. The conditions of the site, which rises
steeply at the west end, preclude the idea that the
building was ever intended to extend much further
in that direction, and the evidence of the masonry at
the west end of the nave and aisles makes a transeptal
T-shaped plan the only likely one.
The walls are constructed of rough sandstone,
finishing with a plain parapet, and the nave and aisles
are roofed in one rather low span, which detracts
somewhat from the external dignity of the building.
This roof, which is covered with stone slates, is
however not the original one, the line of which may
still be seen on the exterior of the east face of the
tower. The old pitch is only slightly more acute
than the present one, and it may be assumed that the
original aspect was not very different from that which
now exists, the height of the aisle walls precluding
the idea of there having ever been a clearstory.
There seems to have been a restoration in the
middle of the i8th century, the present roof dating
from 1752 according to a date roughly cut on it,
with the initials p T on one of the principals, and
T w on another. The tower also appears to have
been repaired at this time, and many of the bench-ends
put in during the previous century renewed. Galleries
were also inserted, and in 1799 a vestry was built on
the north side at the east end of the aisle, a door being
cut through the wall in the north-east angle of the
aisle. The galleries, which were on the north,
south, and west sides, projected in front of the nave
piers, which were much damaged in being cut away
to receive them. The interior remained in this state,
with square pews and no chancel, down to the
time of the restoration of 1882-6. In this restora-
tion, in addition to the erection of the new chancel,
the tracery of all the old windows which had not
been already restored was renewed. A plan of the
church with the seating as it existed in 1850 now
hangs in the vestry.
The chancel is built in 14th-century style, and is
lit by a large five-light traceried window at the east
and two windows on the north and on the south.
On the north side a stone circular staircase leads
down to the vestry beneath, access to which is
gained on the outside by two doors at the east end.
To obtain room for the vestry the chancel is raised
four steps above the level of the nave, which makes
it dominate the interior rather aggressively. The
chancel arch is modern, of three moulded orders,
and takes the place of a very poor east window,
inserted in 1840, after a former 14th-century
window had been blown out. The older window
is shown in Buck's drawing of 1727.
The nave is of four bays with north and south
arcades of pointed arches springing from piers, and
responds composed of four rounded shafts with
hollows between, with moulded capitals and bases.
The arches are of two orders with the characteristic
1 4th-century wave-moulding. There is no clearstory,
and the nave roof is ceiled with a flat plaster
ceiling at the level of the crown of the arches, the
aisles having plaster ceilings following the line of the
roof. The 18th-century king-post roof above is of
a very plain description, and not intended to be
exposed. At the west end of the aisles are pointed
arches springing from responds composed of three
shafts, the moulded capitals of which range with those
of the nave piers, and were designed to open to the
transepts on each side of the tower. The arches are
now filled in with modern windows, apparently
reproducing early 1 6th-century work. The responds,
both to nave and aisles, form on each side of the tower
part of the great eastern piers of the crossing, the
lofty clustered shafts of which, faeing west, are now
partly exposed on the outside of the building in the
internal angles of the tower and aisle walls, and
partly hidden by the later masonry.
The north aisle has four three-light pointed win-
dows on its north side with net tracery, all modern
copies of the original 14th-century work, and one
similar window at the east end ; the later window,
already mentioned, on the west end is of four lights
with poor tracery, and all the windows have external
labels. The south aisle is similarly lighted except in
the west bay, where there is a deeply-splayed window
placed high in the wall. Originally the wall of this
bay appears to have been pierced for an opening about
1 2 ft. wide which gave access to the western range of
the priory buildings, which abutted here. The
straight joints in the masonry on the outside wall
show distinctly the extent of the former opening, and
the present window must be a late insertion after the
opening had been built up. At the east end of the
south aisle is a good double 14th-century piscina, in
the usual position, with trefoiled head, and on the
corresponding side of the north aisle a square hole
in the wall, probably an aumbry. Under the
windows at a height of 6 ft. there is a moulded
string, which is cut away for some distance on each
wall on the west end. Below the string the walls
have been cemented, but above it are of rough
95
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
masonry. The capitals and upper parts of the western
responds have also been much cut away at the time
when the galleries were inserted.
The west tower is narrower than that originally
designed, built of very friable sandstone, and having
apparently been untouched since the i8th century is
in a very bad state of repair. Some refacing appears
to have been done on the west front on the north
side of the doorway and at the belfry stage, and a
scheme of restoration which it is proposed shortly to
carry out will include the refacing of the tower. It
has little architectural merit, being of low proportion
and little in keeping with the rest of the building.
Externally on the west face it is of four stages, with
rather weak diagonal buttresses of nine stages at the
north and south-west angles. On the north and south
sides the walls are quite plain up to the string under
the belfry windows. The west doorway, now much
decayed, consists of a pointed arch with moulded
head and jambs, with a series of hollows filled with
carvings, and so weathered as to be unrecognizable.
Between the buttresses a moulded string-course forms
the lower member of the sill of a large three-light
west window similar to those of the nave, with net
tracery and external hood-mould. The tracery is
modern, but the jambs appear to be old, and the win-
dow must have been moved here when the tower was
built. Above this again is a string ornamented with
four-leaved flowers which goes round the tower, break-
ing round the buttresses at the level of the belfry
window-sills. The belfry windows, which are of
similar detail on all three sides (north, west, and
south) are of two lights under a pointed traceried head,
and appear to be of 14th-century date. They seem
to have been originally intended for glass, as the jambs
and mullions are grooved, and probably belong to some
part of the monastery building either destroyed or in
decay when the tower was erected. They have now
stone louvres. Above the belfry stage there is a single-
light narrow window on the north, south, and west
sides, and on the east side one of two lights, but these
are now hidden by the clock face. The present clock
was given in 1 907, replacing an older one. The tower
ends in an embattled parapet with 1 8th-century angle
pinnacles, one only of which is perfect. The roof is
apparently of the same date, being in the form of a
stone-slated gable running east and west. There is a
door also on the north side of the tower in the east
angle, and on the south side below the string under-
neath the belfry window are three corbels, showing
that a building was set against it at this point. On the
face of the north buttress is a niche now much decayed,
with a trefoiled head. There is no vice in the tower,
the first floor being gained by a wooden staircase, and
the others by ladders, but at the belfry stage in the
south-east corner is a stone staircase in the thickness of
the wall, descending to a door which is now blocked.
This must have been the original means of access to
the upper part of the tower, and from this stage a
stair in the south-east angle of the tower leads up to
the roof. The tower was evidently meant to be open
to the church up to 35 ft. from the ground, and at
this level a chamfered string, with four-leaved flowers
cut on it, shows on the inner face of the walls, mark-
ing the position of the original floor here.
The tower arch is of two moulded orders spring-
ing from a 1 5th-century impost moulding, and is
filled in at the ringing-chamber stage with modern
glazed wooden tracery, and below with a modern
wooden door screen to the porch under the tower.
The fittings are mostly modern, the pulpit and font,
both of wood, dating from 1882. In the north and
south aisles are the 17th-century bench-ends already
mentioned, carved with initials, names, and dates, the
majority belonging to the year 1635," and at the
west end of the nave is a good oak churchwardens'
pew with the names of the wardens and the date
1679. There is a good 18th-century brass chandelier
in the middle of the nave, suspended by a long orna-
mental iron rod. In the tower porch above the
north door is the board with the royal arms, dated
1755 ; and on the opposite wall is an oak cupboard
with doors inscribed with the churchwardens' names,
Scripture texts, and the date 1720.
There were formerly fragments of ancient stained
glass in various parts of the church, but these were
collected and brought together in the middle window
of the south aisle in 1883.
There is a ring of six bells cast by John Warner &
Sons, London, 1877.
The church plate consists of a chalice 1 706, a paten
1720, another paten 1738, inscribed 'The gift of
Thomas Henry Ashhurst Esqr. to the Chappel of
Upholland in Lancashire 1739' ; two flagons of the
same date ; one with a similar inscription, but the
other without, and a chalice 1817, with the inscrip-
tion * The gift of Meyrick Bankes Esqre. to the
Chapel of Upholland 1817.'
The registers of marriages begin in 1600, those of
baptisms in 1607, and those of burials in 1619. The
first volume (1600-1735) has been printed. 533
During the time of Elizabeth, and probably later,
only a reading minister was provided ; 54 but an
improvement took place under Bishop Bridgeman, 55
and in 1643 Upholland was made a parish, the
district including also the townships of Dalton and
Orrell, and parts of Billinge and Winstanley. 66 The
Act was treated as null at the Restoration, and Up-
holland remained a chapelry until 1882, when by
Order in Council it was made a parish. 67
The income of the minister appears to have been
about 60 in i65o. 58 The principal tithes were
owned by the Earls of Derby, who paid a small
composition to the rectors of Wigan M ; the lands of
the monastery were tithe-free. 60 In 1724 Bishop
Gastrell found the curate's income about ^40, of
68 Many have been recut and a late 1 8th-
centnry date added.
"a Transcribed and edited by Alice
Brierley. Lane. Par. Reg. Soc. xxiii,
1905.
64 Gibson, Lydiate Hall, 248 ; Hist.
AfSS. Com. Rep. xiv, App. iv, 13. In
1598 there was no curate, but Mr. Moss,
unlicensed, had done service for a time 5
Wigan Cb. 744.
65 It appears from the Act of 1 643 that
William Ashhurst and others had guaran-
teed to Bishop Bridgeman or his son
Orlando, that hit tithes from the rest of
the parish should be at least 600 a year,
if he would consent to an Act being passed
for making the chapelry an independent
parish.
66 The Act it printed in Wigan Cb.
237-9-
w Wigan Ch. 745.
68 Common-wealth Cb. Sur-v. (Rec. Soc.
9 6
Lanes, and dies.), 60, 62. There was
no residence.
89 Wigan Cb. 254-59. The tithes of
Upholland were sold by Edward, the
twelfth earl, in 1782 to John Morris, and
those of Dalton to Prescott. The
rector of Wigan still receives 8 8*. io$</.
and 4 4*. $l%d. or 19 marks in all, as
composition for the tithes of the town-
ships.
eo Ibid. 258.
VESTRY
FORMERLY
HERE
rtORTH
AISLE
f
I
I I
THE BROKEN LINES AT THE WEST OF
THE CHURCH SHEW THE CONJECTURAL
DESIGN OF THE ORIGINAL WEST TOWER.
AND TRANSEPTS
10 * f f V
14^ CE.NTURY ? i&~ CENTURY
is- CENTURY |y-r;/':; : | MODERN
PLAN OF UPHOLLAND CHURCH
WEST DERBY HUNDRED
WIGAN
which half was paid by the rector. 61 Various grants
and benefactions have since been added, and the gross
income is now about ^oo. 6 * The rector of Wigan
is patron.
The following is a list of the curates and vicars : w
1598 William Moss
1609 Edward Tempest
1626 William Lever
1628 William Lewes 64
1634 Richard Eaton
1636 Richard Whitfield *
1646 Henry Shaw 66
1650 Richard Baldwin 67
1653 Samuel Boden 68
bef. 1671 Gerard Brown
occ. 1 68 1 John Leigh
1683 Roger Bolton, M.A. 69
1694 William Birchall
1719 John Allen, M.A. 70
1726 Adam Bankes, M.A.
1728 William (Simon) Warren
1 746 Thomas Winstanley, B.A. 71
1747 John Baldwin
1758 Thomas Holme 7SI
1767 Richard Prescott
1798 John Fawel
1802 Thomas Merrick, B.A.
1821 John Bird, B.A.
1844 Charles Bisset, B.D. (Clare Coll.
Camb.)
1 88 1 Frederick D'Austini Cremer, M.A.
(Wadham Coll. Oxf.) 7 ' a
1888 George Frederick Wills.
There is a licensed mission-room.
There are Wesleyan, Primitive, and United Free
Methodist chapels.
The grammar school was founded in 1668 by
Peter or Robert Walthew."
At Walthew Park, in the north-east part of the
township, is situated St. Joseph's College, the semi-
nary for the Catholic diocese of Liverpool. After
collecting a sufficient sum the foundation was laid in
April 1880, and in 1883 the building was open to
receive students preparing for the priesthood. The
museum contains a rich collection of ancient furniture,
china, &c. 74
DALTON
Daltone, Dom. Bk. ; Dalton, 1212.
Dalton occupies hilly ground south of the River
Douglas. The highest point is Ashhurst Beacon,
known locally as the ' Beetle,' 569 ft. above sea level.
From it the land slopes away gradually on every side.
The district is extensively cultivated, fields of corn,
potatoes, and other root-crops alternating with
pastures. Plantations of trees appear more especially
on the north-east under the lee of the hill and away
from the assault of westerly sea winds. A few insig-
nificant brooks find their way towards the Douglas,
which forms the northern boundary of the township
and divides the Hundred of West Derby from that
of Leyland. The view from the top of the hill near
the Beacon is an extensive one, affording a fine
panorama of the surrounding country. The prepon-
derance of holly trees and hedges on the sheltered
side of the district is a noticeable feature. There are
many picturesque stone-built houses in the neighbour-
hood. The soil appears to be loam and clay, over
solid sandstone rock. The area is 2,103^ acres. 1
The population in 1901 was 422.
The road from Upholland to Newburgh crosses the
township in a north-west direction, ascending and
descending ; Ashhurst Hall and the church lie on the
western slope of the ridge ; to the north are Hawks-
clough and Dalton Lees, and to the south lies Elmer's
Green. Prior's Wood is in the north, and Cassicarr
Wood on the eastern boundary.
There is a colliery.
The township is governed by a parish council.
Ashhurst Beacon was erected a century ago, when
a French invasion was regarded as imminent.
Watchers were stationed day and night to be ready to
light the beacon fire, and thus give notice of the
enemy's landing.
At the death of Edward the Confessor,
MANOR DALTON was held by Uctred as one
plough-land ; its value was the normal
32^.* On the formation of the Manchester fee
Dalton was included in it, and probably about 1 150
Albert Grelley the elder enfeoffed Orm son of
Ailward, of Kirkby Ireleth, of a knight's fee in
Dalton, Parbold, and Wrightington, in marriage
with his daughter Emma. The heirs of Orm held it
in I2I2. 3 Dalton was reputed part of the Manchester
fee down to the I7th century. 4
61 Notitia Cestr. ii, 258. There were
two wardens.
63 Liverpool D'toc. Col. For particu-
lars of the grants see Wigan Cb. 744,
745-
68 This list is taken, with a few addi-
tions from Visitation lists, &c., from that
compiled by Canon Bridgeman ; Wigan
Cb. 748. It is not continuous until
1719.
64 Perhaps the same as ' Lever."
65 In 1639 Richard Whitfield, curate,
paid lOi. to the clerical subsidy ; Misc.
(Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 122. He
was in charge when the Act of 1643 was
passed.
66 He was a member of the classis
in 1646; Baines, Lanes, (ed. 1870), i,
227.
67 'A very able minister, a man of
honest life and conversation,' but he had
not kept the last fast day ; Commonvj.
Cb. Surv. 61. The name is spelt Bowden
on p. 63.
68 Paid first-fruiti 9 April 1653;
Lanes, and Cbes. Recs. ii, 414. Probably
a Baldwin also. He had recently been in
trouble with the authorities, it being
alleged that he had taken part with the
Earl of Derby in his recent attempt to
raise forces for Charles II ; Cal. of Com.
for Compounding, iv, 2955 ; v, 3266. He
is mentioned in 1658 ; Plund. Mint.
Accts. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), ii,
214.
69 Bishop Stratford's Visitation List.
He was 'conformable* in 1689; Hist.
MSS. Com. Rep. xiv, App. iv, 229.
' At this time the church papers at
Chest. Dioc. Reg. begin.
7* It is possible that a James Miller
(inserted between Winstanley and Baldwin
by Canon Bridgeman) was assistant curate
for a time.
97
For Thomas Winstanley see Foster,
Alumni Oxon.
72 He succeeded his cousin, William
Bankes, at Winstanley in 1800 ; died
17 Aug. 1803.
T**- Now vicar of Eccles.
7 End. Char. Rep. 1899.
7< Liverpool Catb. Ann. 1886.
1 2,102, including five of inland water ;
Census Rep. of 1901.
3 V.C.H. Lanes, i, 284*.
8 Lanes. Inq. and Extents (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), i, 55.
4 Ibid. 154 (Dalton probably included
with Parbold) and 248. For claims by
Lord La Warr see Ducatus Lane. (Rec.
Com.), i, 264 5 ii, 74. From the Man-
chester Ct. Leet Rec. (ed. Earwaker) it
appears that constables for Dalton and
Parbold were summoned to the court leet
down to 1 73 3, though they did not appear ;
vii, 25.
13
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
The descent of the mesne lordship it is not possible
to trace clearly. The descendants of Orm were the
Kirkbys of Kirkby Ireleth, who long retained an
interest in part of the fee of Dalton, Parbold, and
Wrightington. Dalton and Parbold as half a knight's
fee seem very early to have been granted to the
Lathom family, 4 and Parbold and part at least of
Dalton were in turn granted to younger sons. In
the 1 3th century Dalton was held by Richard de
Orrell, Richard le Waleys of Aughton, and Henry de
Torbock, but how their interests had arisen there is
nothing to show, though the Torbocks no doubt held
their quarter of the manor by a grant from the
Lathoms.
The Orrell portion, called a fourth part of the
manor, 6 was like Orrell itself acquired by the Holland
family, 7 and descended in the same way to the
Levels, 8 and, on forfeiture, to the Earls of Derby. 9
The latter sold it about 1600 to the Orrells of
Turton, 10 who soon afterwards sold all their rights to
the Ashhursts. 11 The Dalton family, who took their
name from this township, but who are better known
as lords of Bispham in Leyland and afterwards of
Thurnham, probably held under the Hollands and
their successors."
The Waleys portion was divided, half being given
to a younger branch of the family. Richard le
Waleys had a brother Randle, whose son Richerit was
a benefactor of Cockersand Abbey. 13 Adam the son of
Richerit sold his quarter share to Robert, lord of
Lathom, who granted it to the priory of Burscough. 14
The priory continued to hold this quarter of the
manor to the Suppression, after which its fate has
not been ascertained ; but all or most was probably
6 Inq. and Extents, i, 55 ; see also Final
Cone. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 18.
Robert de Lathom was holding the
knight's fee in Parbold and Wrightington
in 1242 (p. 154). Robert de Lathom
was one of the tenants in 1282, but
Thomas de Ashton did suit ; Mamccestre
(Chet. Soc.), i, 136. The Lathom tenure
was remembered in 1349 ; ibid. 443 ;
and even in the Feodary of 1483 it is
stated that ' Lord Stanley holds Allerton
and Dalton of Lord la Warre ' ; sec also
Feud. Aids, iii, 94.
6 In the grants to Burscough of a
quarter of the vill John de Orrell has the
position of a superior lord, confirming
the grant ; Burscough Priory Reg. fol.
3 1 A. The same John granted to Bur-
scough land held of him by Robert son of
Henry the Smith of Lees ; ibid.
He and his father Richard were bene-
factors of Cockersand Abbey. One of
the father's grants was the half of
Lithurst, the other half of which seems
to have belonged to Richard le Waleys,
with lands of Burscough Priory adjacent.
John de Orrell made grants of Nelescroft
and Fernyhurst and of a piece of land, the
bounds of which cause the naming of
Full clough, Mickle clough, the Hill,
Edwin's ridding, Barn lache, the Dyke,
the carr, Lithurst and Buke side ; ac-
quittance of pannage for thirty pigs in
Dalton Wood was allowed with other
easements ; Cockersand Chart. (Chet. Soc.),
ii, 621-5.
' See the account of Orrell.
In 1320 Sir Robert de Holland was
the principal mesne tenant, Richard le
Waleys, the Prior of Burscough and Ellen
de Torbock following ; Dalton and
Parbold are joined, but the tenant of the
latter is omitted ; the service was 31. for
sake fee and 51. for ward of the castle of
Lancaster. From the later statement of
rents it is evident that half of this was
due from Dalton, and the other half from
Parbold ; thus each of the four quarters
of the former should pay u.
In 1341 and again in 1349 it was
found that Maud de Holland held the
fourth part of Dalton of the lord of
Manchester in socage by a rent of i^d.
and the lord of Manchester of the Earl of
Lancaster by the same service ; Inq. p.m.
15 Edw. Ill (2nd nos.), no. 30; 23
Edw. Ill, pt. i, no. 58. In the latter
year it was worth, in all issues, 535. 4</.
8 Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Chet. Soc.), ii, 2.
The rent is this time stated as 6d., so
that half had been alienated, probably to
the Daltons.
A Manchester rental of 1473 shows the
division of the manor at that time : The
Prior of Burscough, 6d. ; William Orrell,
jun. (of Turton), izd. ; Richard Bradshaw
of Uplitherland, izd. ; William Arrow-
smith of Warrington, 6d. ; Lord Lovel,
6d. ; Dalton, 6d. (making 41.) ; Edward
de Lathom (of Parbold), 41. ; making up
the 81. paid for sake fee and castle-ward
as in 1320 ; Mamccestre, 491.
9 Pat. 4 Hen. VII, 25 Feb.
' Bridgeman, Wlgan Cb. (Chet. Soc.),
257. Bishop Bridgeman recorded the
division of the manor among four lords,
of whom the Prior of Burscough was
one; and says 'All these four lords
called themselves lords thereof, and some-
times kept courts all jointly and some-
times severally' ; 258.
11 Thomas Parker, who died in 1600,
held various messuages and lands in
Dalton of William Orrell, which in 1622,
when the inquisition was taken, were
held of Henry Ashhurst } Lanes. Inq,
p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), iii,
37-
12 Robert de Dalton is mentioned as
early as 1293 ; Inq. and Extents, 276.
In 1305 Robert de Dalton was claiming
common of pasture from Ellen, widow of
Henry de Lathom, and from the Prior of
Burscough ; De Banco R. 154, m. 252 d. ;
156, m. 119. There was another family
bearing the local name, who held of the
Torbocks ; thus Gilbert son of Alan de
Dalton speaks of ' my lord, Henry de
Torbock' ; Kuerden MSS. iii, T, 2,
no. 15. Robert de Dalton allowed the
Prior of Burscough to approve in the
hey of Dalton ; Burscough Reg., fol.
34*-
The most conspicuous of the early
members of the family was Sir John de
Dalton, kt., whose exploit in carrying
off Margery de la Beche in 1347 has
been mentioned in the account of
Upholland. Robert de Dalton, his father,
was then living. Sir John died in 1369
holding 40 acres in Dalton of Roger La
Warr, lord of Manchester, in socage, by
the rent of gd. yearly ; Inq. p.m. 43
Edw. Ill, pt. i, no. 31. The service does
not agree with the 6d. named in the
rental previously quoted. Ellen, wife of
Robert de Urswick, was executrix ; De
Banco R. 454, m. 141 d. For later
descents see the accounts of Bispham in
Leyland and Thurnham.
18 By a charter made in the first quarter
of the 1 3th century Richard le Waleys,
with the consent of his brother Randle,
gave land to Cockersand ; Dolfin and
9 8
Itharthur were two of the tenants ;
Cockersand Chart, ii, 6 1 6. This was
followed by grants and confirmation from
Richerit son of Randle le Waleys ; the
first of these states that the quittance of
pannage had the consent of John de
Orrell ; while another was for the benefit,
among others, of 'the soul of Thomas
Grelley, my patron" (advocates) ; ibid, ii,
617-20. These charters contain a num-
ber of local names, as Hawk's nest
clough, Rushy lea, Rodelea pool, Sandy-
ford, &c. Adam the son of Richerit
was also a benefactor ; ibid, ii, 621.
The Cockersand lands were afterwards
held in 1451 by Henry Birchinshaw by a
rent of izd., in 1501 by the Earl of
Derby, and in 1537 by the Prior of
Burscough (who denied) ; ibid, iv,
1244, &c.
14 Burscough Reg. fol. 31, 31 b.
John le Waleys released to Sir Robert
de Lathom the annual rent of a pair of
gloves due to him from the fourth part of
the vill, which Richerit de Aughton and
Adam his son had held of the lord of
Uplitherland by that rent ; ibid. fol. 33.
John le Waleys also granted lands in
Bokeside, the bounds beginning at Livelds-
bridge ; this charter mentions the house
which Robert de Legh founded on the
land of Blessed Nicholas of Burscough ;
ibid. fol. 33^ ; see also fol. ^zb for another
gift. His son Richard confirmed these
grants ; ibid. fol. 35.
The other Burscough charters include
an agreement between the prior and
Richard son of Stephen de Lees and
Denise his wife as to land in Rodelea
carr ; an engagement by Richard son of
Simon de Haselhurst for himself and his
heirs, to pay 6d. a year to the prior and
canons to the end of the world ; and a
grant of Gibhey, between Priors' Hey
and the Douglas, made by Geoffrey de
Wrightington ; ibid. fol. 34, 35.
At the Dissolution the priory was
drawing a rent of 6 31. from its lands
in Dalton, viz. 4 from Dalton Hey,
Richard Prescott being tenant at will ;
loj. from Gorstilow or Gorstifield, the
same tenant ; 25*. from Haselhurst,
Buckshead, and Willins carr, leased to
John son of Ralph Orrell for 509 years
from 1533, when Edward Prescott was
tenant ; the second best animal, or 6s. 8</.,
was paid as heriot ; and Ss. from a
quarter of the Helde in Dalton, formerly
Walsh's, William Shaw being tenant ;
Duchy of Lane. Mins. Accts. bdle. 136,
no. 2198, m. 7 d.
DALTON : SCOTTS FOLD, DOUGLAS VALLEY
DALTON : STANE HOUSE, DOUGLAS VALLEY
WEST DERBY HUNDRED
WIGAN
acquired by the Earls of Derby, 15 and remained with
this family till the sale of Lady Ashburnham's
estates. 16
The fourth part retained by
the Waleys family descended
like Uplitherland to the Brad-
shaghs, 17 and was sold in 1546
to Matthew Clifton, 18 and
then apparently to the Ash-
hursts, who before that seem
to have been the tenants under
Waleys and Bradshagh.
The remaining quarter, that
of the Torbocks, descended for
some time with the principal
manor of Tarbock ; but this
portion of Dalton became, like
Turton, the share of the Orrell family. 19 The estate
was often called the manor of Walton Lees. A family
named Lascelles, of long continuance in this township
ORRELL. Argent three
torteaux between two
bendlett gulet t a chief
sable.
and Upholland, appear to have been the immediate
holders. 80
In 1598 William Orrell of Turton was called lord
of ' three-fourths ' of the manor, holding his here-
ditary share and that of the Holland family ; and
William Ashhurst lord of ' one-fourth,' i.e. probably
the Waleys share.* 1 The Burscough quarter does not
seem to be accounted for. Shortly afterwards, as
stated above, the Ashhursts acquired the Orrells' lands
and rights, and became sole lords of the manor. In
1751 they sold it to Sir Thomas Bootle, and it has
since descended with Lathom, the Earl of Lathom
being lord of the manor.
In the absence of records it is not possible to give a
satisfactory account of the Ashhurst family. 12 The
earliest known is Simon de Ashhurst, who about the
end of the reign of Henry III granted to his son Robert
all his land in Dalton, and to his son John all his land
in Ashhurst. 23 Robert son of Simon next occurs ; 24
and in 1300 Richard son of Robert de Ashhurst made
15 A grant of Burscough lands, includ-
ing Dalton, was made to the Earl of Derby
in 1603 ; Pat. I Jas. I, pt. v, 21 July.
William Rigby of Lathom, who died
just before this date, held land in Dalton
of the Earl of Derby, as parcel of the pos-
sessions of the dissolved monastery of
Burscough ; Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), i, zo ; see also i, 30,
and ii, 185.
Part of the Burscough lands was later
granted to Robert Hesketh ; Pat. 12 Jas. I,
pt. 5 .
16 Lands in Dalton were included in a
fine concerning the Derby manors, &c., in
1708, John Earl of Anglesey and Hen-
rietta Maria his wife, being deforciants ;
Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 260, m. 53.
They were sold under a decree of 14 July
1719 to Thomas Franke ; Cal. Exch. of
Pleas, D. 3 ; see the account of Lathom.
1 7 John le Waleys acquired land in
Dalton in 1283 ; Final Cone, i, 161.
Richard le Waleys in 1322 held a fourth
part of the manor of Dalton ; ibid, ii, 46.
This was in possession of Eleanor wife
of Thomas de Formby in 1372 ; ibid, ii,
183.
18 Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 12, m.
173 ; William and Edward Bradshagh
were the vendors. About a year after-
wards Matthew Clifton had a dispute with
John Orrell and others regarding a coal-
mine in Dalton ; Ducatus, i, 222. William
Clifton was hanged at Lancaster 28
Aug. 1562 for participation in the mur-
der of William Huyton of Blackrod ;
he had lands in Dalton held of William,
Lord La Warr, by knight's service and
the rent of \zd. ; also lands in Mawdes-
ley and Ormskirk ; Duchy of Lane. Inq.
p.m. xi, no. 40.
19 For the descent see the account of
Tarbock. See also Final. Cone, ii, 183,
Maud widow of Richard de Torbock
granted her annuity from Walton Lees to
Gilbert de Haydock in 1340; Raines
MSS. (Chet. Lib.), xxxviii, 45 ; also 247,
&c., for other arrangements, in one of
which John the son of Maud is named ;
he is not otherwise known. In the en-
dorsement of one deed Maud is called
' de Standish.' Walton Lees and Turton
were early secured by the Orrells, accord-
ing to the award of the arbitrators in
1425 ; Croxteth D. Z. i, 21. Ralph
Orrell, who died in or before 1535, held
messuages and lands in Dalton of the Earl
of Derby by a rent of I4</. and of
Lord La Warr by a rent of 120". ; Duchy
of Lane. Inq. p.m. vii, no. I ; those said
to be held of the Earl of Derby were per-
haps in Upholland or Orrell.
In 1543 a formal agreement was made
between Lord La Warr and John Orrell
of Turton, setting forth that the latter
held his lands, &c. in Dalton of the lord
of Manchester by fealty and the yearly
rent of izd., and by doing suit at the
court of the manor of Manchester twice a
year ; Manchester Corp. D. ; Ducatus
Lane. (Rec. Com.), ii, 74. A grant
or confirmation of lands in Orrell and
Dalton was made to William Orrell in
1599 ; Pat. 41 Eliz. pt. 1 1.
20 Walton Lee is mentioned in a grant
to Cock.ers.md ; Chart, ii, 629. Richard
son of Thurstan de Waltonlees in or
before 1270 released 2 acres in the vill of
Walton Lees to Henry de Torbock; Kuer-
den MSS. iii, T. 2, no. 17.
In 1292 Denise, wife of Richard son
of Stephen de Dalton Lees claimed lands
in Upholland and Sivardslee against
Richard Lascelles and Amice (or Avice)
his wife ; William son of Warine son of
Matthew, a minor, was called to warrant ;
Assize R. 408, m. 33. The defendants
are named in an earlier suit ; Assize R.
1238, m. 31 d.
In 1322 Henry son of Richard
Lascelles quitclaimed to Ellen de Tor-
bock all his right in the Green in Dalton ;
Kuerden MSS. iii, T. 2, no. 14.
In 1341 Gilbert de Haydock granted
lands in Dalton to Burscough Priory.
Part at least was held of Maud widow of
Sir Robert de Holland by a rent of J*/. ;
and part had been purchased from Warine
Lascelles; Inq. p.m. 15 Edw. Ill (2nd
nos.), no. 30 ; Kuerden fol. MS. fol. 175.
Three years later Henry Lascelles of
Walton Lees claimed certain lands in
Dalton against Adam del Ley of Welch
Whittle, John the Prior of Burscough,
Gilbert de Haydock, Maud de Standish,
and others ; afterwards the estate was
described as a fourth part of four mes-
suages, 2 oxgangs of land, &c., and the
resulting suits show the descent of the
Torbock quarter of the manor ; Assize R.
1435, m. 38 d.; De Banco R. 346, m.
'55 d - 5 34-8, m. 146, &c. Isolda widow
of Warine Lascelles claimed dower in 1348
from Thomas, Prior of Burscough, and
Henry de Molyneux of Halsnead, respect-
ing the grant to the priory ; Assize R.
I444,m. 6.
99
In 1501 John Lascelles held the
Cockersand lands in Upholland by a rent
of I2</. ; Cockersand Rental (Chet. Soc.), 7.
In 1574 Thomas ' Lassell' and Eliza-
beth his wife had a water-mill and other
property in Upholland ; Pal. of Lane.
Feet of F. bdle. 36, m. 25. Thomas
Lassell, who seems to have married a
second wife named Margaret, had a son
Edward, whose first wife was named
Grace, and second Ellen; there are various
fines concerning their estate in Dalton and
Upholland, and in 1586 they sold land in
Upholland to Anne Halsall ; ibid. bdle.
41, m. 1 36 ; 48, m. 103, &c. The name
occurs in later documents.
21 Ducatus Lane. (Rec. Com.), iii, 362.
John Orrell was deforciant of the manors
of Turton and Dalton in 1607 ; Pal. of
Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 72, m. 5. William
Orrell of Turton died in 1612 seised of
the manor of Dalton, which was held of
Sir N. Mosley as of his manor of Manches-
ter by a rent of izd. ; thus only the rent
of a quarter of the manor was paid ;
Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and
Ches.), i, 224.
22 There are a few brief notes of the
family deeds in Harl. MS. 2112, fol. 95.
Pedigrees were recorded in 1613 and
1664; Visit. (Chet. Soc.), p. 97 and
p. 9 respectively ; abstracts of some deeds
are printed with the former. There is a
later one in Foster's Lanes. Pedigrees.
The place-name occurs in a charter by
Richard le Waleys early in the I4th cen-
tury, mention being made of lands which
Hugh son of Osbert held in Ashhurst ;
Burscough Reg. fol. 35^.
The following other members of the
family are named in the deeds in Harl.
MS. 21 1 2 ; Roger, in Scarisbrick ; Hugh,
with John and Adam his sons, in Shev-
ington ; Thomas, whose mother was
Hannah daughter of Robert Torbock, in
Lathom ; William in Winstanley ; Ralph
and Henry his son in Upholland ; all in
undated deeds.
83 Harl. MS. 2112; Vint, of 1613;
grants from Simon to his sons Robert and
John.
Simon de Ashhurst was defendant in a
plea concerning 20 acres in Dalton in
1292 ; the plaintiff, Robert son of William
de Senington (? Shevington) and grand-
son of Robert son of Osbert, was non-
suited ; Assize R. 408, m. 30.
24 Harl. MS. 2112 ; Ashhurst is called
a vill.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
a release of lands in Pemberton. 15 This Richard ac-
quired lands about the same time from Henry the
Miller of Skelmersdale, whose daughter Alice after-
wards released her right in the same. 26 Richard's son
Adam was the most distinguished member of the
family until the Commonwealth period. He fought
in the French wars under Edward III and was
knighted, receiving also a grant of lands in Essex and
Hertfordshire." He was succeeded by his son John,
who married Margery, daughter of Henry de Orrell,* 8
and had a son Roger. This Roger about 1385
married Maud/ 9 daughter of Henry de Ince, leaving a
son Robert, whose son John de Ashhurst about 1437
married a daughter of Roger de Dalton. 30 From this
date there is an absence of documentary evidence until
the middle of the i6th century, 31 about which time, as
already stated, William Ashhurst acquired, probably
from the Bradshaghs of Aughton, a quarter of the
manor, and afterwards acquired the remainder from
William Orrell.
This William Ashhurst was in 1590 reported to be
'soundly affected in religion ' ; " and the family con-
tinued Protestant, adopting Puritan and Presbyterian
tenets. William Ashhurst died in i6i8, M and was
succeeded by his son Henry, who married Cassandra
Bradshaw,* 4 and had several children, including Henry,
the draper and alderman of London, a wealthy man
and a consistent Puritan. 55 The eldest son William
was a member of the Long Parliament, and also of
Cromwell's Parliament of i654. M He died in January
1656-7, and was succeeded by his eldest son and heir
Thomas, who recorded a pedigree in 1664. John
Ashhurst, the brother of Wil-
liam and Henry, took an active
part in the Civil War on the
Parliamentary side, having a
commission as captain and
major. He engaged in the
second siege of Lathom, and
was present at the surrender
in December 1645 ; he was
subsequently governor of Liver-
pool. 37
Thomas Ashhurst, aged
twenty-five in 1 6 64, 38 was suc-
ceeded in 1700 by his son
Thomas Henry, who made a settlement of the manor
of Dalton in ijo6, 39 and about thirty years later
succeeded also to the manor of Waterstock in Oxford-
shire, which had been bought by the above-named
Alderman Henry Ashhurst. In 1751 the manors of
Dalton, Upholland, and Skelmersdale, with various
lands, were sold to Sir Thomas Bootle by Henry Ash-
hurst, son of Thomas Henry, 40 and apparently an elder
brother of Sir William Henry Ashhurst, the judge.
Families named Arrowsmith, 41 Prescott," and Hol-
ASHHURST. Gules a
cross bet-ween f our Jleurs-
de-lis argent.
2 * Harl. MS. 2112.
86 Ibid. ; Visit, of 1613. Richard and
Adam de Ashhurst contributed to the
subsidy of 1322, the former paying 5*.
out of a total of 1 6s. ; Exch. Lay Subs.
(Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), 8.
2 7 Staff. Hist. Coll. (W. Salt Soc.), xviii,
38, 85, &c. Pardons were granted at his
request in 1347 ; ibid. 277. His retinue
consisted of four esquires and two archers;
ibid. 200.
In 1336, already a knight, he received
a grant of land in Dalton from John the
Harper of Dalton ; Visit, of 1613. Three
years after he had a protection from the
king, dated at Brussels, as being in the
royal service in parts across the seas ;
Harl. MS. 2112. There are also refer-
ences to him in the Cal. Pat.
In 1341 he acquired land in Dalton
from Richard son of Adam de Huyton
and Alice his wife ; Final Cone, ii, 114 ;
see also De Banco R. 328, m. 155 d. He
was still living in 1 3 66,when he granted his
lands to his son John ; Harl. MS. 2112.
28 Visit, of 1613 ; Harl. MS. 2112.
29 Visit, of 1613.
80 Ibid. A John Ashhurst of Dalton
in 1481 granted to William Bolland,
Abbot of Cockersand, a rent of I zd. and
6s. %d. at death as an obit ; Towneley
MS. DD, no. 1553.
81 About 1 540 William Ashhurst was
tenant of the Hospitallers' land in Dalton,
at a rent of \zd. ; Kuerden MSS. v, fol.
84. The rent suggests an alternative
origin for the ' fourth part of the manor '
subsequently claimed for this family. In
1559 a settlement was made of lands in
Dalton by William Ashhurst and Cecily
his wife, who according to the pedigree of
1613 were the parents of the William Ash-
hurst of 1590 ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F.
bdle. 21, m. 143.
82 Gibson, Lydiate Hall, 246 ; quoting
S.P. Dom. Eliz. ccxxxv, 4.
88 Manchester Ct. Leet Rec. iii, 19 ;
his will dated 6 February 1615-16 was
proved at Chester 9 April 1618. He
mentions his wife Margaret ; his son
Henry Ashhurst, and his daughter Anne
Elston, and Robert, Elizabeth, Margaret,
Henry, Anne, and Mary Elston, children of
the latter. Henry Ashhurst was to pay
his mother 40 a year ; in default of which
she was to have all the testator's lands in
Bispham and Wrightington for her life.'
84 Visit, of 1613, p. 98 ; Local Glean.
Lanes, and Ches. ii, 250 ; marriage settle-
ment dated June 1606. Baxter says that
he ' was a gentleman of great wisdom and
piety, and zealous for the true reformed
religion in a country where papists much
abounded. And when King James, the
more to win them, was prevailed with to
sign the book for dancing and other such
sports on the Lord's days, he being then a
justice of the peace, as his ancestors had
been, and the papists thus emboldened
sent a piper not far from the chapel to
draw the people from the public worship,
he sent him to the house of correction.
And being for this misrepresented to the
king and council he was put to justify the
legality of what he did at the assizes ;
which he so well performed that the judge
was forced to acquit him though he was
much contrary to him ; and an occasion
beingoffered to put the oath of allegiance on
his prosecutors, their refusal showed them
papists, as was before suspected '; ibid. 251.
Henry Ashhurst was the only Dalton
landowner contributing to the subsidy of
1628 ; Norris D. (B.M.). He and Cas-
sandra his wife were in possession of the
manor in 1630 ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F.
bdle. n5> no. 3. In the following year
he paid ^25 as composition on refusing
knighthood ; Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and
Ches.), i, 212. About the same time he
was engaged in the trial of Anne Spencer,
a known witch ; Hist. MSS. Com. Rep.
xiv, App. iv, 55.
85 * A very holy man,' according to
Oliver Heywood ; Diaries, ii, 142. His
career and virtues are recorded by Richard
Baxter in the funeral sermon quoted in
the last note. See also Wood, Athenae
Oxon. (Eccl. Hist. Soc.), i, 157-8 ; and
Diet. Nat. Biog.
100
86 Local Glean, ii, 272, 275 ; Pink and
Beaven, Parl. Rep. of Lanes. 280, 73.
He was a member of the fourth Presby-
terian Classis in 1646 ; Baines, Lanes.
(ed. Croston), i, 308.
V Local Glean, ii, 276. Afterwards, as
a leading Presbyterian, he joined in the
attempt to set Charles II on the throne in
1651, and took refuge in the Isle of
Man ; Cal. of Com. for Advance of Money,
iii, 1464. See Civil War Tracts (Chet.
Soc.), 77, &c. ; Royalist Camp. Papers
(Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), iii, 176-7.
88 Dugdale, Visit. (Chet. Soc.), 9.
8 Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 256,
m. 3. The estate is described as the
manor of Dalton, with messuages, barns,
dovecote, lands, wood, common of pasture
and turbary, and 201. rent in Dalton,
Wrightington, Ormskirk, Lathom, Bisp-
ham, Skelmersdale, Shcvington, Orrell,
and Hutton.
In 1721 King's Silver was paid by
Thomas Ashhurst and Diana his wife for
a fine concerning the manors of Dalton,
Upholland, and Skelmersdale ; Pal. of
Lane. Plea R. 512, m. 8.
40 Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 347, m.
26. This Henry is omitted in the pedi-
gree in-Foster, but appears in the Alumni
Oxonienses as son of Thomas Henry Ash-
hurst, having entered Exeter College, Ox-
ford, in 1739, aged eighteen ; he was made
D.C.L. in 1754, being then of Water-
stock, Oxfordshire. Sir William Henry
Ashhurst is stated to have been born in
1725 ; Diet. Nat. Biog.
41 William Arrowsmith of Warrington
in the rental of 1473, already quoted,
paid 6d. ; this was possibly a part of the
Burscough quarter, the prior being re-
turned as paying 6d. only. Hugh Arrow-
smith occurs in 1555; Pal. of Lane.
Feet of F. bdle. 15, m. 40. In 1598
there was a dispute as to land between
William Ashhurst and Robert Arrow-
smith ; Ducatus (Rec. Com.), iii, 393.
42 As will have been seen from the
Burscough rental the Prescotts were
tenants of the priory at the Dissolution
WEST DERBY HUNDRED
WIGAN
land 43 also held lands in Dalton. In 1 600 William
Ashhurst and William Moss were the only freeholders
recorded. 44
The Knights Hospitallers had land. 45
In the I jth century an estate called Sifredlea is
recorded ; it disappeared later. 46
About 1400, 2 acres of land in Dalton, granted
without royal licence for the repair of Douglas Bridge,
were confiscated, but restored. 47
For the adherents of the Established Church John
Prescott of the Grange, owner of the great tithes of
the township, turned the tithe barn into a place of
worship ; a district was assigned to it in iSyo, 48 and
it was consecrated in 1872 ; but five years later the
present church of St. Michael and All Angels was
built on an adjoining site, and the old one destroyed.
The patronage is in the hands of Mrs. Prescott. 49
INCE
Ines, 121 2 ; Ins, 1292 ; Ince, xvi cent.
Ince, called Ince in Makerfield to distinguish it
from Ince Blundell in the same hundred, lies im-
mediately to the east of Wigan, of which it is a
suburb, and from which it is separated by a small
brook, the Clarenden or Clarington. A large part of
the boundary on the south-west and eastern sides is
formed by mosslands. Ambers or Ambrose Wood lies
on the eastern edge. The ground rises slightly from
south-west to north-east, a height of over 200 ft. being
attained on the latter boundary. The area is 2,320
acres. 1 The population in 1901 was 21,262, includ-
ing Platt Bridge.
Two great roads cross it, starting from Wigan ; the
more northerly is the ancient road to Hindley and
Manchester, while the other goes through Abram to
Warrington. A cross road joining these is, like them,
lined with dwellings. The portion of the township
to the north-west of it is called Higher Ince.
Numerous railway lines traverse the township, as well
as minor lines for the service of the collieries. The
Lancashire and Yorkshire Company's line from Wigan
to Bolton and Manchester crosses the centre from west
to east, and has a station called Ince ; it is joined
near the eastern boundary by the loop line through
Pemberton. The London and North - Western
Company's main line goes through from south to
north, and has junctions with the lines from Man-
chester and St. Helens, as also with the Joint Com-
panies' railway through Hindley and Haigh. The
Great Central Company's line from Manchester to
Wigan also crosses the township, with a station, called
Lower Ince. The Lancaster Canal traverses it near
the Wigan boundary, and the Leigh branch of the
Leeds and Liverpool Canal near the western and
southern boundaries.
The general aspect is unpleasing, it being a typical
black country in the heart of the coal-mining area.
The flat surface, covered with a complete network of
railways, has scarcely a green tree to relieve the
monotony of the bare wide expanses of apparently
waste land, much of it covered with shallow ' flashes '
of water, the result of the gradual subsidence of the
ground as it is mined beneath. A good deal of the
ground appears to be unreclaimed mossland. Need-
less to say no crops are cultivated. All the energies
of the populace are employed in the underground
mineral wealth of the district, Ince being famous for
cannel and other coal.
The northern part of the township merges into
the town of Wigan, the principal features being huge
cotton mills and warehouses, crowding the banks of
the canals and River Douglas, which here degenerates
into a grimy ditch, with never a bush or tree to
shade its muddy banks.
The soil is clay, with a mixture of sand and gravel
lying over coal. There are iron works, forges, and
railway wagon works ; cotton goods also are manu-
factured.
The Local Government Act of 1858 was adopted
by the township in 1866.* The local board was
for Dalton Hey and Gorstilow. Alice
and Edward Prescott were among the
defendants in a case regarding these lands
in 1548 ; Duchy Plead. (Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Ches.), iii, 51. Richard Prescott and
Ellen his wife occur in 1560 ; Pal. of
Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 22, m. 108. He
seems to have been a lessee of the Orrells
for their manor of Walton Lees, and his
children were orphans in 1596 ; Ducatus,
iii, 206, &c.
The Recusant Roll of 1641 includes two
Prescotts, also Crosses, Holland, &c. ;
Trans. Hist. Soc. (new ser.), xiv, 239. The
Earls of Derby owned the tithes of Dal-
ton, and about 1782 sold their right to
Mr. Prescott, in whose family it re-
mains ; Bridgeman, Wigan Cb. 258.
48 In 1554 Lewis Orrell had a dispute
with Robert, Ralph, Hugh, and Agnes
Holland respecting a close in Dalton
called the Barn Hey ; Duchy of Lane.
Plead. Edw. VI, x, O. I. In 1560 Richard
Holland and Margaret his wife had land
at Dalton ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F.
bdle. 22, m. 102.
In a fine of 1572 concerning land in
Dalton in which Richard Holland, Ralph
Crosse, Philip Moss, and Edward Prescott
were plaintiffs, and Richard Chisnall and
Thomas Lathom deforciants, the latter
warranted Richard Holland and his heirs
against Lord La Warr, the heirs of
William Bradshagh, deceased, James
Howorth, and Margaret his wife, and
Margaret's heirs, and John Parbold and
Margery his wife ; ibid. bdle. 34, m. 1 6.
Richard Holland died 29 Apr. 1587
holding lands in Dalton, Parbold, and
Ormskirk, which by his will he left to his
wife Margaret for life and then to his
son and heir James ; the latter was sixty-
eight years of age ; Duchy of Lane. Inq.
p.m. xiv, no. 20. James Holland, perhaps
a son of the last-named James, died in
160$, leaving a son and heir Richard,
eleven years old ; Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec.
Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 30.
In 1717 Ellen Holland, daughter of
James Holland, as a ' papist ' registered
an estate at Dalton for the life of her
sister Mary ; Engl. Cath. Nonjurors, 131.
44 Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i,
239,241. In 1653 Edward Moss of Dalton,
two-thirds of whose estate had been se-
questered for recusancy, asked leave to
contract for the same ; Royalist Comf>.
Papers (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), iv, 199.
45 Plac. de Quo War. (Rec. Com.), 375 ;
see also a preceding note.
46 The name has a great variety of
spellings.
In 1 202 Syfrethelegh was part of the
tenement of Alan de Windle (or de
Pemberton) in which Edusa his widow
claimed dower; Final Cone, i, 38. In
101
1241 Robert de Holland released his
claim to twelve oxgangs in Pemberton,
on receiving from Adam de Pemberton
the homage and service (viz. 5*. 6J. rent)
of Thomas de Siverdelege in the latter
place ; ibid. 82.
Very early in the 1 3th century Edrith
de Sivirdeleie granted a portion of his
land to Cockersand Abbey, the bounds
commencing at a burnt oak by Swinley
Carr, so to two oaks, and to Raven's
Oak, and by syke and brook to the great
bank, and so to the start ; this was
afterwards held by a tenant paying I2</.
and a half a mark at death ; Cockersand
Chart. 11,627. In 1271 or 1272 Robert
son of Thomas de Siverthelege released
to Matthew de Bispham and his heirs
all his right in the abbey's land in
Siverthelege, rendering to the abbot izd.
a year; this land was in 1268 held by
Matthew de Holland ; ibid, ii, 629, 630.
It is clear that Matthew de Holland
was the same as Matthew de Bispham,
and it was for him probably that Robert
de Holland had before bought out the
interest of Adam de Pemberton.
47 Dep. Keeper's Rep. xxxiii, App. 2.
48 Land. Gax. 29 Nov. 1870 ; 23 Dec.
1870.
49 Bridgeman, Wigan Ch. 789.
1 Including 100 acres of inland water.
a Land. Gaz. 23 Oct. 1866.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
changed into an urban district council by the Act of
1894 ; it consists of fifteen members.
The manor of INCE appears to have
M4NOR been a member of the royal manor of
Newton before the Conquest,* and to
have been included in the fee of Makerfield from its
formation. 4 In 1 2 1 2 Alfred de Ince held this in thegn-
age with Haydock, 5 in succession to his father, Orm
de Haydock, whose name occurs as early as Il68. 6
The whole of Haydock had been granted out, and half
of Ince was held of Alfred by Richard de Perpoint. 7
Some forty or fifty years later Henry de Sefton
began to acquire a share in the manor. In 1261 he
held the Perpoint moiety by grant of Thomas de
Perpoint, 8 and seems to have acquired the remainder,
with the mesne lordship, from Henry son of John de
Ince. 9 He was still living in 1288,' but in 1291
his son, styled Richard de Ince, was in possession. 11
Richard de Ince occurs as late as 1 3 3 3 ; lt he was
succeeded by his son Gilbert, living in I347- 13 At
this time Gilbert had a son Ivo living ; but in 1382
the manors of Aspull and Ince were granted to feoffees
by Richard son of Robert de Ince, whose relation-
ship to Gilbert is not known. 14 The manor went
with Ellen, daughter of probably the same Richard
de Ince, who married John Gerard, a younger son of
Peter Gerard of Brynn. 15
From their son William the manor descended
regularly to Thomas Gerard of Ince, who in 1514
had a dispute with Sir Thomas Gerard of Brynn, as to
the possession of Turneshea Moss, on the boundary
of Ince and Ashton. 16 At his death in 1545 it was
V.C.H. Lanu. i, 286.
* Ibid. 366, note 8. For later notices
see Lanci, Inq. p.m. (Chet. Soc.), i, I38;ii,
99 ; ibid. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.),
i, 105.
6 Lanes. Inq. and Extents (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), i, 74. The separate
assessment of Ince appears to have been
one plough-land : and its share of the
thegnage rent was probably los. ; one of
the judges being also supplied by it. In
1544 the Gerards' rent was stated to be
51. only ; possibly this was a moiety of
the manor, the other moiety being held
by the Ince family.
6 Farrer, Lanes. Pipe R. 12. Orm de
Haydock gave to Cockersand Abbey a
portion of land in Ince, between two
brooks, as marked out by the canons'
crosses ; Cockersand Chart. (Chet. Soc.),
ii, 673. Robert Anderton held this in
1501 at a rent of lod. ; Cockersand Rental
(Chet. Soc.), 5.
~' Lanes. Inq. and Extents, i, 74 ; the half
plough-land was held 'of ancient feoff-
ment.'
Richard de (or le) Perpoint was a
benefactor of Cockersand, his grant being
thus bounded : The great brook up the
Thele lache, down the lache between
Beric-acre and Wolveley to the syke be-
tween Hardacre and Bircacre, to the great
brook ; Cockersand Chart, ii, 672. He
seems to have been succeeded by Robert
son of Adam de Perpoint, who released
to the canons the lands he had held of
them in Ince, and whose daughter Godith
did the same ; ibid. 673, 674. For
Alfred de Ince see Lanes. Pipe R. 152,
&c.
8 Cur. Reg. R. 171, m. 28 ; Henry
de Sefton called Thomas de Perpoint to
warrant him as to 4 oxgangs in Ince.
He may be the Henry de Seveton who
with his wife Alice was taken into con-
fraternity with the Knights Hospitallers in
1256; Final Cone. ( Rec. Soc. Lanes, and
Ches.), i, 128.
9 Assize R. 408, m. 21 d. John de
Ince was witness to an Abram charter
about 1240 5 Cockersand Chart, ii, 664.
10 Assize R. 408, m. 73. It is pos-
sible that there is an error in the date.
11 Assize R. 407, m. 3 d. Gilbert de
Southworth claimed in right of the dower
of his wife Emma, who seems to have
been the widow of Henry de Sefton ; but
this would not have been so if Henry de
Sefton was living in 1288.
About this time there was a long suit
between John son of Richard Maunsel
of Heaton and Richard son of Emma
de Marhalgh as to messuages, mill, &c.,
and 6 oxgangs of land in Ince and Aspull.
Richard is described as son and heir of
Henry de Wigan, a brother of Richard
Maunsel ; Assize R. 1265, m. 22 d. ; R.
1321, m. 13 d. ; R. 418, m. 2, II. As
in one of the pleadings in 1284 (Assize R.
1268, m. ii) Gilbert de Southworth and
Emma his wife were joined in the defence
with Richard son of Emma de Mar-
halgh, it might seem that Henry de
Wigan was the same as Henry de Sefton,
but there it probably some other explana-
tion.
12 In 1292 he was defendant in a
number of suits concerning his father's
acquisitions.
Henry de Litherland claimed 4 ox-
gangs less 12 acres ; he had in 1288 re-
leased his right in them to Henry de
Sefton, but now said he was a minor at
the time ; Assize R. 408, m. 73. It is
possible that the plaintiff was the Henry
son of Thomas de Ince who at the same
assizes claimed 6 acres of land, &c.,
from Robert son of Fulk Banastre,
Hugh de Hindley, Alan son of Peter,
Adam de Urmston and Isabel his wife,
and Richard de Molyneux and Beatrice
his wife ; ibid. m. 68. Agnes widow of
Thomas de Ince was also a claimant in
respect of dower ; 2 oxgangs of land are
named ; ibid. m. 3, 13 d., 64 d. Henry
son of Thomas de Ince held 12 acres
claimed by William, brother and heir of
Robert de Wytonelake, who asserted that
Thomas had demised to Henry de Sefton,
who had disseised Robert ; ibid. m. 51.
Robert de Abram and Emma his wife,
in right of the latter, claimed the moiety
of an oxgang of land, Sec., from Richard
son of Henry de Sefton of Ince, and from
Gilbert de Southworth and Emma his
wife. The latter pair said they had only
Emma's dower out of Richard's inheri-
tance. The plaintiffs said that Henry de
Ince gave the tenements to Adam son of
Wido and Margery his wife ; the latter
being, it would seem, a daughter of Henry;
and that Emma was their daughter and
heir ; Robert was the son of John de
Abram, who had married the said Mar-
gery. Richard de Ince's reply was that
Margery had granted the lands to his
father while she was a widow and free to
do so ; but the jury decided for the plain-
tiffs, believing a grant was made after she
had married John de Abram. Gilbert
and Emma were also to have nothing
from the land, ' because the seisin of the
latter's first husband was unjust'; ibid,
m. 26 d. The last sentence seems to
prove that this Emma was widow of
Henry de Sefton.
In the same year, 1292, Richard de
Ince and Alice his wife, 'put in their
102
claim ' in a fine concerning the manor of
Haydock ; Final Cone, i, 174.
Late in 1334 Richard son of Henry
de Ince granted Gilbert de Culcheth leave
to carry turves from Hindley to Wigan
through Ince ; Lanes, and Ches. Hist, and
Gen. Notes, i, 52.
18 In 1323-4 Gilbert son of Richard
de Ince remitted to Gilbert de Haydock
a rent of 1 31. 4^. ; Raines MSS. (Chet.
Lib.), xxxviii, 33. Gilbert de Ince was
witness in 1334; Crosse D. no. 45.
Ten years later John de Tyldesley made
a claim against Gilbert son of Richard
de Ince and others concerning land ; As-
size R. 143 5, m. 47. A little later, 1347,
William son of John Donning of Ince
sued Gilbert son of Richard de Ince for
a messuage in Ince. Gilbert claimed by
a grant from Elias Donning and Margery
his wife, parents of John Donning ; in
the defence there were associated with
him his brothers Richard, Thomas, and
John ; also his son Ivo ; ibid, m. 41 d.
Gilbert de Ince at Easter 1354 was con-
victed of disseising John son of Thomas
Jew of a rent of 131. $d. in Ince ; and
Hugh, Gilbert's brother, cut off Johr.'s
arm ; Duchy of Lane. Assize R. 3, m.
3. Henry, another brother, occur, in
1347; Cal. Close, 1346-9, p. 49. Gil-
bert de Ince attested a charter in 1358;
Standish D. no. 46.
14 Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 2, m.
36 ; a list of the tenants is given.
Robert was perhaps yet another brother
of Gilbert's, for a Robert son of Richard de
Ince was plaintiff in 1353 against Roger
de Leigh, and others; Assize R. 435,
m. 20.
Richard and Thomas de Ince contri-
buted to the poll tax of 1381 ; Lay Subs.
Lane. bdle. 130, no. 24.
15 Ormerod, Ches. (ed. Helsby), ii, 131,
where it is stated that a dispensation was
granted for the marriage. John Gerard
of Ince occurs in 1425 ; Lanes. Inq. p.m.
(Chet. Soc.), ii, 13.
In 1420 John Gerard of Ince and Ellen
his wife arranged for the succession of the
manor of Ince, with fifteen messuages,
140 acres of land, &c., in Warrington,
Wigan, and Aspull ; Pal. of Lane. Feet
of F. bdle. 5, m. 18. At the inquisition
after his death, taken in 1434-5, his son
and heir William was said to be aged
twenty-three ; Ormerod, loc. cit.
16 Duchy Plead. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and
Ches.), i, 3-7 ; the date should be 6
Hen. VIII. The plaintiff's pedigree is
given : ' The said moss ... is the freehold
and inheritance of plaintiff as parcel of
his manor of Ince, whereof William
Gerard his great-grandfather, Thomas
WEST DERBY HUNDRED
WIGAN
found that he had held the manor of Ince of Sir
Thomas Langton in socage by a rent of 5/. ; also
the manor of Aspull, a burgage in Wigan, and land?
in Abram and Hindley. Miles
Gerard his son and heir was
thirty years of age. 17 Miles
died in August I 5 5 8, 18 leaving
a son William, 19 who in turn
was succeeded by his son,
another Miles Gerard. 10 The
family adhered to the ancient
faith, and Miles Gerard in
1590 was reported to be 'in
some degree of conformity, yet
in general note of evil affection
in religion.' 81
Miles Gerard was still liv-
ing in 1613, when a pedigree was recorded, show-
ing Thomas his son and heir to be twenty-two
GERARD. Azure a lion
rampant ermine crowned
or.
years of age. 28 Thomas was a convicted recusant
in i628, 83 and his estates were in 164.3 sequestered
' for his recusancy and supposed delinquency.' 24 The
documents relating to the matter give a number of
interesting particulars as to the mining of cannel
and the charges upon the lands ; K they also show
that Thomas Gerard, his son, had fought against
the Parliament, and had been taken prisoner at
Naseby in 1645 ; afterwards he took the National
Covenant and compounded for his part of the
estate. 86
It appears to have been Anne, the daughter and
heir of the younger Thomas, who carried the manors
of Ince and Aspull to her husband John Gerard, a
younger son of Sir William Gerard, third baronet ;
and the manors were afterwards sold to Richard
Gerard, uncle of John. 87 Richard's son and heir
Thomas and his wife, Mary Wright, were in posses-
sion in i683. 18 His son Richard Gerard of Highfield
his grandfather, and William his father,
and many others of his ancestors were
time out of mind peaceably seised.'
In 1448 Thomas Gerard son of William
Gerard, Roger Geranl, and Cecily wife
of William Gerard, were accused of caus-
ing the death of Robert Gidlow, but
were acquitted ; Pal. of Lane. Plea R.
12, m. 25 ; see also R. 1 1, m. 15, 1 6.
In that year a dispensation was granted
by Nicholas V for the marriage of Thomas
son and heir of William Gerard of Ince,
and Elizabeth a daughter of William
Norris of Speke, the parties being related
in the third degree ; Norrit D. (B.M.),
no. 643. Ten years later an indenture
was made, reciting the fact of this mar-
riage, and stating that lands in Aspull and
Hindley had been assigned to them ;
William Gerard, the father, 'had not
made and would not make any alienation
of the manor of Ince or of any mes-
suage, lands, and tenements that were
Ellen's that was wife to John Gerard
mother to the said William Gerard,' but
such as should determine at his death.
William's brothers, Robert, John, Hugh,
and Richard are named, as also his younger
sons, Roger, Edmund, Lawrence, and Seth;
ibid. no. 644..
To Thomas Gerard, the son, a pardon
was granted in 1479 5 Towneley MS.
RR, no. 1430. In this year Thomas
Gerard of Ince and William his son, with
Roger and Seth his brothers, were par-
ties to an engagement to keep the peace
with Alexander Standish and others ;
Standish D. nos. 160, 161.
In 1490 the marriage of Thomas son
and heir apparent of William Gerard, and
Maud daughter of Sir Henry Bold, was
agreed upon ; Dods. MSS. cxlii, fol. 210,
nos. 1 1 8, 119.
V Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. vii, no. 27.
The burgage in Wigan was held by the
rent of a pair of gloves.
18 Ibid, xi, no. 1 2 ; he held the manors
of Ince and Aspull, with various messu-
ages and lands, &c. ; including a wind-
mill and a water-mill in Ince, and the
same in Aspull ; sixty burgages, &c., in
Wigan, and various lands there, held by a
rent of 571. id. ; also lands in Pcmber-
ton, Abram, and Hindley. William his
son and heir was twenty-three years of
age.
19 William was a plaintiff against Sir
Thomas Gerard in 1549 ; Ducatus Lane.
(Rec. Com.), ii, 101.
In 1567 a pedigree was recorded 5 Vlut,
(Chet. Soc.), 1 01. William Gerard was
buried at Wigan, 29 Nov. 1583 ; Reg.
30 A settlement of the manors of As-
pull and Ince was made by fine in 1586 ;
Miles Gerard and Grace his wife being
deforciants ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F.
bdle. 48, m. 299 ; there was a later one
in 1612; ibid. bdle. 82, m. 51. Several
other fines relate to dealings with their
properties ; ibid. bdle. 47, m. 57, &c.
In I 599, as lord of the manor, he com-
plained that Ralph Houghton and others
were withholding suit ; Ducatus Lane.
(Rec. Com.), iii, 336, 399.
21 Gibson, Lydiate Hall, 245, quoting
S.P. Dom. Eliz. ccxxxv, 4. He and his
wife had been accused in 1586 of sheltering
one Worthington, a persecuted priest ; and
his own brother, Alexander Gerard, was
another priest in the neighbourhood ; ibid.
239, 240. Thomas and Alexander Gerard,
aged eighteen and seventeen respectively,
entered Brasenose College, Oxf. in 1578 ;
Foster, Alumni. In spite of a discrepancy
in the dates it being recorded that
Alexander left Rheims for England in
1587 it seems certain that Miles's
brothers were the Thomas and Alexander
Gerard imprisoned for religion in Wisbech
Castle, where Thomas died ; their brother
Gilbert, born in 1569, and therefore not
recorded in the Visitation pedigree, entered
the English College, Rome, in 1587, and
became a Jesuit ; Foley, Rec. S.J. vi,
1755 vii, 293.
In September 1590 Miles Gerard
was indicted for fourteen months' absence
from church, but for most part of the
time he had been ' so extreme sick ' that-
his life had only been preserved by the
use of goat's milk ; before that he said
he had been a regular attendant at church ;
Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. xiv,App. iv, 597. See
also Local Glean. Lanes, and Ches. ii, 252.
Miles Gerard, a Douay priest, executed
at Rochester in 1590 for his priesthood,
is supposed to have been of this family ;
Gillow, Bibl. Diet, of Engl. Cath. ii,
430-2. He does not occur in the pedi-
gree, but Miles seems to have been a
favourite Christian name in this branch.
M Vltit. of 1613 (Chet. Soc.), 25.
' Miles Gerard of Ince, esquire, was buried
at Wigan, 1615, in his own chancel, the
28th day of September' 5 Reg.
Thomas son and heir of Miles Gerard
of Ince entered St. Mary Hall, Oxf. in
1607, aged seventeen ; he was afterwards
of Gray's Inn ; Foster, Alumni Oxon.
38 Norris D. (B.M.). For a settlement
IO3
in 1641 see Pal. of Lane. Feet of F.
bdle. 138, m. 38. He paid 13 6*. %d.
on refusing knighthood in 1632 ; Misc.
(Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 222.
84 Royalist Comp. Papers (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), iii, 34 ; petition of his
wife and daughters.
85 Ibid, iii, 34-51. Thomas Gerard
had a mine of cannel in Aspull, for which
he needed a trench through lands of James
Gorsuch, paying him 20 for leave.
Owing to neglect in the various seques-
trations the trench was filled up, and the
mine was ' totally drowned up ' ; the fault
being that of the agents of the seques-
trators. He asked for compensation or
assistance to put the mine in order.
The rents of the confiscated two-thirds
of the estates amounted in 1653-4 to
11 1 ijs. 6d.; it consisted of the
demesne lands at Ince, a mill, tenants'
rents, tithe corn, rents in Aspull, and a
cannel mine in Aspull farmed to his son
Thomas Gerard ; ibid. 47.
Ince Hall was the subject of suits be-
tween Thomas Gerard and Roger Stough-
ton in 1663 ; Exch. Depot. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), 37, 48.
In 1667 an inquiry was made touching
an annuity granted by Thomas Gerard
to John Biddulph ; Lanes, and Cbes. Recs.
(Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), ii, 348.
28 Royalist Comp. Papers, iii, 40-43. It
being alleged that the younger Thomas
was ' a delinquent papist and not to be
admitted to composition, notwithstanding
his conformity,' his friends moved that he
might be allowed to give the committee
further satisfaction by taking the oath of
abjuration.
*i For Richard Gerard see Diet. Nat.
Blog.
The descent which follows is taken
from Piccope's MS. Pedigrees (Chet. Lib.),
i, 1 19, with additions from his abstracts
of Roman Catholic deeds enrolled in the
Preston House of Correction. There is
also a pedigree in Gregson, Fragments (ed.
Harland), 239. John Gerard died in July
1672, and was buried at Winwick ; Local
Glean. Lanes, and Ches. i, 191.
28 Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 211,
m. 25. Besides the manors the property
included messuages and lands and a water
grain mill in Ince, Aspull, and Wigan ;
also tithes in Ince. For a fine of 1700
see bdle. 245, m. 93 ; Thomas Gerard,
Sir William Gerard, and William Gerard
were the deforciants. Thomas Gerard is
usually described as 'of Highfield' in
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
succeeded, but dying without issue the manor of
Ince went by the provisions of his will M to his
wife Margaret for life and then to his heir, his
cousin Richard Gerard's son William. 30 William's
heirs were his sisters, Mary and Elizabeth ; but as
the latter died unmarried, the whole devolved on
the former, the wife of John Walmesley, a relation
of the Showley family. 51 They settled at West-
wood House in Ince, and the manor has descended
regularly to the present lord, Mr. Humphrey Jeffreys
Walmesley, of Ince and Hungerford. 3J The Hall
of Ince was sold by Richard Gerard in 1716 to
John Walmesley oi Wigan, whose descendant Mr. John
Walmesley of Lucknam and Ince is the present
owner."
Ince formerly possessed three halls, each bearing
the name of the township ; two of them, very much
modernized, still stand. The first of these, now
known as above mentioned as Hall of Ince, stands in
Warrington Road, near the cemetery, and was restored
about ten years ago, the old timber work at the back,
which was then visible, being removed, and the wall
rebuilt in brick. 33a The whole of the exterior of the
building, which was formerly timber framed, is now
stuccoed and otherwise modernized, but the roofs
retain their old stone slates. The building is now
divided into three houses.
Another branch of the Gerard family also resided
in Ince from about 1600 ; their house was called the
New Hall. 34
The house now known as Ince Hall, which is
situated off Manchester Road, near Rose Bridge, was
originally surrounded by a moat and approached by a
fine avenue of elms. It was a good specimen of
timber and plaster building erected about the reign
of James I, with a picturesque black and white front
of five gables. 343 The entrance hall is described as
being spacious and with a richly ornamented plaster
ceiling and wainscoted walls. Three other rooms
also were stated to have been panelled in oak, and the
drawing-room ceiling was ornamented with ' carved
work representing birds, shells, fruit, and flowers.
There were two chimney-pieces of fine Italian
marble. The staircase was of oak and 6 ft. wide, the
ceiling much ornamented with stucco. The best bed-
rooms were covered with tapestry.' 34b In 1854
the house was so seriously damaged by fire as to
necessitate a practical rebuilding. The ancient
timber front has therefore given place to a brick
elevation of no architectural pretension, and the
house is internally wholly modernized. The line of
avenue still remains, but the trees have disappeared,
and the opening of coal pits in the immediate
vicinity about thirty years ago has destroyed any
sense of picturesqueness that the rebuilt structure
might have possessed. 35
A family using the local surname came into note in
the 1 6th century. 35 * Thomas Ince, who died in April
1573, held a capital messuage and other messuages
with lands and wood at Ince of Thomas Langton in
Aspull. As a 'papist' he registered his
estate in 1717, the value being given as
345 17*. 4< ; Richard Gerard, of High-
field, who registered an annuity of ^150
out of the manor of Aspull, was no doubt
his son ; Engl. Cath. Nonjurort, 128, 153;
he also owned the hall of Southworth ;
Piccope, op. cit. Two of his sisters were
nuns.
In 1694 an inquiry was made as to the
suspected devotion of the Hall of Ince to
religious uses ; Exch. Depos. 84.
29 Richard Gerard of Highfield died
without issue in 1743. In 1721 he was
in the remainders to the Brynn estate.
By his will dated I Feb. 1734-5, he
g-ive the manor of Ince to his wife
Margaret, who was daughter of John
Baldwin of Wigan, for life, with re-
mainder to his right heirs ; his manors
of Southworth and Croft to his brother
Thomas ; Piccope, op. cit. This Thomas
and another brother Caryll were priests ;
for the latter see Foley, Rec. S.J. vi,
468.
30 Richard Gerard, a younger brother of
Thomas, was an apothecary in Wigan.
He and his son Richard registered as
'papists' in 1717; Engl. Cath. Non-
jurors, 107, 148. They mortgaged a
messuage in the Market-place in 1731.
The son, who died in 1743, married Isa-
bella, another daughter of John Baldwin
of Wigan ; and their son William, de-
scribed as an apothecary in 1 744, was the
heir to Ince. Aspull is not mentioned,
having probably been sold. In 1751-2
William Gerard was deforciant of the
manor in a fine, which included lands in
Ince, Abram, Himlley, Newton in Maker-
field, and Wigan ; also 'one chapel open
to the north side and adjoining the parish
church of Wigan ' ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of
F. bdle. 346, m. 108.
81 In 1773 John Walmesley and Mary
his wife, Elizabeth Gerard, spinster,
William Moss and Margaret his wife,
and Richard Baron and Anne his wife
were the deforciants in a fine re-
garding this manor; ibid. bdle. 389, m.
176.
32 The descent is thus given in Burke,
Landed Gentry John Walmesley, d.!78o;
son, Richard, d. 1790 ; son, Charles, d.
1833 ; son, William Gerard, d. 1868 ;
son, William Gerard, d. 1877 ; brother,
Humphrey Jeffreys, born 1 846.
83 Information given by the present
owner, \\ho also inherited the house in
Hallgate, Wigan, in which the Young
Pretender slept in November 1745. For
the pedigree of the family see Burke,
Landed Gentry, Walmesley of Hall of
Ince.
333 A view of the Hall, as it was a cen-
tury ago, is given in Gregson, Fragment!
(ed. Harland), 236.
84 One Thomas Anderton had lands
in Ince in 1529, as recorded in a later
note ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. vi, n.
14, 30. One of his daughters and co-
heirs married Thomas Gerard, and a
division was sought in 1546 ; Pal. of
Lane. Writs, file 30. Ralph Gerard and
Grace his wife sold lands here in 1548 ;
James Gerard was a purchaser ; Pal. of
Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 13, m. 133, 136.
See also Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xv,
no. 1953 James Gerard was buried at
Wigan 21 Sept. 1590. This James may
have been the father of Miles Gerard,
who in 1600 was one of the freeholders in
Ince ; Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.),
i, 239. The same name, as 'of New
Hall ' appears among the landowners
contributing to the subsidy of 1628 5
Norris D. (B. M.). He was buried at
Wigan in 1640, and in 1654 Charles
son of James Gerard, of the New Hall,
was buried, as appears by the Wigan
registers.
For some ' delinquency ' James Gerard's
IO4
estate was sequestrated about the end of
1651 by the Parliamentary authorities;
as ' son and heir of Miles Gerard, late of
Ince,' he was admitted to Gray's Inn,
1646 ; Royalist Comp. Papers, iii, 21 ; iv,
34-
In 1671, on a complaint by Henry
Backer and his wife Jane against Ellen
Gerard, depositions were taken as to the
marriage of John Davies of Manby
in Cheshire, with Alice eldest daughter
of Miles Gerard, late of Peel Ditch in
Ince, and moneys agreed to be paid to
Jane and Margaret, daughters of Miles ;
and touching a sum of 400 lent to
Thomas Gerard of Ince ; Exch. Depos.
49-
843 The house is the subject of one
of Roby's Traditions of Lancashire, where
a view of it in its original state is
given.
84b Manchester City News, N. and Q.
iv, 7 (1881).
85 There is a tradition that the Young
Pretender slept here when he was in
this part of Lancashire, and that there
was a skirmish in the hall during his s;ay
in which two men were killed.
8oa They may have descended from the
Henry son of Thomas de Ince, of 1292,
who had a son Thomas ; Assize R. 419,
m. 12 ; De Banco R. 198, m. i36d.
Richard son of Henry de Ince contributed
to the subsidy in 1332; Exch. Lay Subs.
(Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), 6. The
Thomas of 1381 may also have belonged
to it ; a release by Thomas son of Robert
de Ince, dated 1379, is in Towneley MS.
GG, no. 2439. Robert son of William de
Ince, occurs in 1398 ; Crosse D. (Trans.
Hist. Soc.}, no. 86. Henry de Ince occurs
in 1415 ; Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Chet. Soc.), i,
107. Thomas son of Henry de Ince was
party to a bond in 1428 ; GG, no. 2655.
Henry Ince of Ince was one of the gentry
of the hundred in 1512.
WEST DERBY HUNDRED
WIGAN
socage by a rent of $t. Kb The residence was known as
Ince Hall, or the New Hall. They also adhered to the
ancient faith, 36 and John Ince's estate was sequestered
by the Parliamentary autho-
rities during the Common-
wealth, 37 but not confiscated
outright. It descended from
him to his great-great-grand-
daughter Frances Sobieski,
daughter of Christopher Ince,
and wife of William Anderton
of Euxton. She died in 1 8 1 6,
when the family ceased to
reside here. 38
The third hall, the resi-
dence of the family of Ince,
stood on a site a short distance from the junction of
Ince Green Lane and Warrington Road, part of which
is occupied by a building apparently erected some
sixty years since from the materials of the former
house. Two date stones, now on a rockery in front
INCE. Urgent three
torteaux between two
bendlets gules.
of the house, are said to belong respectively to the
old barn and a stable now pulled down. One bears
the date 1578 and the initials G J M, and the other
the inscription
w p
referring to the above-named
__
William Anderton and Frances his wife. There is
also part of a stone sundial, dated GM - The hall
1741
is sa : d to have been built about 1721.
Property here was acquired by a family named
Brown, 39 in which it descended for about a century
and a half. 40 Henry Brown, by his will in 1726, left
it to his grand-nephew Edward, son of Robert Holt
of Wigan ; by two daughters and co-heiresses it be-
came the property of General Clegg and Thomas
Case of Liverpool. 41
Miles and Peter Gerard, Thomas Ince, and Ralph
Brown were the landowners recorded about I556. 4 *
Richard Pennington was a freeholder in 1600."
The four halls of Ince were duly noted by Kuerden
Kb Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xiii, no. 6.
Miles Ince was his son and heir, and of the
age of twenty-five years. The rent pay-
able seems to prove that this was a moiety
of the manor. Mr. H. Ince Anderton
gives the descent as : Thomas Ince (15
Edw. IV) s. Henry (20 Hen. VII) s.
Arthur s. Thomas ; from Harl. MS.
1987, fol. 88i.
The father of Thomas was Arthur Ince,
who in 1546 and later had a dispute with
Ralph Brown over the marriage between
the latter's daughter Ellen and Thomas
Ince, son and heir apparent of Arthur ;
Duchy Plead, ii, 211. In 1569 Miles
Ince, as grandson of Ralph Brown, put in a
claim to lands in Ince, Aspull, and Wigan;
Ducatus Lane. (Rec. Com.), ii, 378, 360.
88 Miles Ince was one of the ' comers to
church but no communicants' in 1590 ;
Lydiate Hall, 246 (quoting S.P. Dom.
Eliz. ccxxxv, 4). He was buried at Wigan
7 Apr. 1593; Reg.; and was succeeded by
John Ince, probably his son, returned as a
freeholder in 1600; Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes.
and Ches.), i, 241. With him begins the
pedigree recorded in 1664; Dugdale,
Visit. (Chet. Soc.), 163. In 1628 he paid
double to the subsidy as a convicted recu-
sant ; Norris D. (B.M.) ; and died the
following year, being buried at Wigan.
8 ' In 1643 two-thirds was sequestered
for Thomas Ince's religion only, and so
remained till his death in Feb. 1653-4;
it does not appear that he took arms for
the king. John Ince was the only son
and heir, thirty-four years of age, and in
1654 had a wife and four small children
depending on him. He mortgaged his
property in order to pay his father's debts
and provide for his wife Margaret and
his children Thomat, Hugh, &c. ; Royalist
Camp. Papers, iv, 1-13.
88 Dugdale's pedigree is supplemented
by that of Piccope (MS. Pedigrees, ii,
291), who consulted the Roman Catholic
deeds enrolled in the House of Correction,
Preston. It appears that Thomas, the
eldest son of John, mentioned in the pre-
ceding note, had no issue, and the estate
descended to Christopher Ince, a younger
brother, who in 1717 as a 'papist' regis-
tered his estate, being described as ' of
Aughton;' Engl. Cath. Nonjurors, 1 12. His
four sisters, Dorothy, Anne, Ellen (wife
of James Twiss), and Elizabeth also re-
gistered ; ibid. 124.
4
Christopher was executor of his bro-
ther Thomas's will (dated 1703), and by
his own will, dated 12 Dec. 1728, he left
Ince Hall to his grandson Christopher ;
John, the son, to have 'the profits of part
of Brook House,' if he behaved himself to
the satisfaction of the trustees. Thomas,
a younger brother of John, had lands in
Aughton and Billinge, divided between
his sons Thomas and James ; Piccope, op.
cit.
Mr. Ince Anderton adds that papers in
Chest. Dioc. Reg. show that Christopher
Ince died in 1735, leaving two sons, John
and Thomas ; and that administration of
the goods of John Ince of Ince was
granted on 14 Jan. 1739-40.
Christopher Ince, son of John, accord-
ingly succeeded to Ince ; in 1740 he
married Mary Catherine Parry of Holy-
well ; and their daughter and heir,
Frances Sobieski Ince, married in 1769
William Anderton of Euxton ; Pic-
cope.
89 In a suit in 1609 respecting a place
called Rundiefield in Ince, the following
pedigree was adduced : Roger le Brown,
to whom the rent of 41. from the land
had been granted by William de Ince s.
Rowland s. William s. Ralph. Ralph
in 1545 granted the rent to William
Brown, whose son Roger was defendant
in 1609 ; Pal. of Lane. Plea R. 303, m.
1 6.
Roger Brown of Ince, in August 1517,
granted to Cecily daughter of Richard
Urmston a burgage in Scholes for her
life, with remainder to Ralph Brown,
junior, son and heir of William Brown ;
and at the same time this Ralph Brown,
describing himself as next of kin and heir
apparent of Roger, granted his burgages,
&c., in Scholes to the same Cecily, pro-
bably on his marriage with her ; Towne-
ley MS. OO, no. 1109, 1108.
Thomas Anderton of Ince died in
August 1529, seised of messuages and
lands in Ince held of Thomas Gerard of
Ince, by a rent of zs. So 1 . ; and other lands
in Thingwall, Walton, Halewood, and
Aughton. His heirs were his daughters
Margaret, Ellen, and Cecily, said to be
ten, nine, and eight years of age in 1534.
They were in the wardship of Ralph
Brown of Wigan, who accordingly took
possession ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. vi,
no. 14, 30.
105
Ralph Brown next appears in 1535 in
a dispute with Thomas Gerard as to lands
in Whitreding ; Ducatus Lane, i, 201 ;
and then in 1546 regarding the marriage
covenant with Arthur Ince, already re-
ferred to. William Brown, feoffee of
Ralph, and James Brown appear in 1568
and 1569 in the disputes with Miles Ince.
In 1581 William Brown made complaint
as to Charles Bank, Miles Gerard, and
Lawrence Wood regarding lands called
Foxholes, &c. ; Ducatus Lane. (Rec. Com.),
iii, 92, 107.
William Brown died 13 May I5961eav-
ing a son and heir Roger, then about six-
teen years of age ; he had held two mes-
suages and various lands in Ince of Miles
Gerard, by a rent of 41. 6d. and sixteen
messuages in Wigan ; Lanes. Inq. p.m.
(Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Cheg.), i, 157.
Roger Brown, in 1597, alleged that
Miles Gerard was withholding suit ; Du-
catut Lane. (Rec. Com.), iii, 350. He
died 2 Jan. 1619-20, seised of the paternal
lands, and leaving as heir his son William,
aged seventeen ; there was a younger
son Ralph, as appears by a feoffment made
in 1611 ; Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), ii, 202. He had lived
' roguing about London,' in Bishop Bridge-
man's opinion ; Bridgeman, Wigan Cb.
249.
40 William Brown died in 1626, for his
uncle Ralph, brother of Roger Brown,
tendered his relief on succeeding ; he was
buried at Wigan ii Mar. 1626-7, anc '
succeeded by his son ; Bridgeman, op. cit.
250. The 'heirs of Ralph Brown' are
mentioned in the Wigan rental of 1627 ;
ibid. 310.
41 Baines, Lanes, (ed. 1836), iii, 568}
Gregson, Fragments, 176.
48 Mascy of Rixton D. ; a subsidy roll.
48 Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.),
i, 241.
In 1546 was a fine between Nicholar
Pennington (or Pinnington) of Wigan and
John Pennington of Ince, respecting pro-
perty in the latter place ; Pal. of Lane.
Feet of F. bdle. 12, m. 167. In 1559
John Pennington was again deforciant {
ibid. bdle. 21, m. 134. In 1600 Gilbert
Bank sued Robert and Nicholas Penning-
ton concerning a cottage and lands called
Emme Fields ; Ducatus Lane. (Rec. Com.),
iii, 412.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
about 1696." In 1717 John Clarkson and Richard
Richardson, as * papists,' registered estates here. 44
Ambrewood inclosure award may be seen at
Preston.
The Established Church has two places of worship
in the township ; Christ Church, consecrated in
1864, the district assigned being the whole town-
ship j 46 and St. Mary's, Lower Ince, consecrated
I887- 47 The patronage of both is vested in Simeon's
trustees.
The Wesleyan Methodist chapel was built in 1866;
the Primitive Methodist one in 1885. The Con-
gregationalists also have a place of worship.
The adherents of the ancient religion found assist-
ance in the constancy of the families of Gerard and
Ince. The chapel at New Hall was built in 1760 ;
this was closed in 1818. There was a private chapel
at Westwood House, and in 1873 the church of
St. William was opened. Twenty years later the
Church of the Holy Family at Platt Bridge was
added. 48
HINDLEY
Hindele, 1212 ; Hindelegh, 1260 (common) ;
Hindeley, 1292.
Hindley lies in the centre of the great Lancashire
coalfield, and consists of a level-surfaced country
dotted over with collieries and black pit-banks.
A close network of tramways and railways covers
the face of a singularly dreary stretch of country,
where the pastures are scanty and blackened. Fre-
quent pools of water lie between the collieries, in-
dicating subsidences of the earth caused by mining.
What trees remain standing appear as dead stumps,
with leafless branches reflected weirdly in the ' flashes'
of water. In the more favoured parts of the town-
ship, wheat, oats, and potatoes manage to find an
existence. There is some pasturage also. The area
is 2,610^ acres, 1 and the population in 1901 was
23,504.
The ancient road from Manchester to Wigan goes
west-north-west through the township. The town of
Hindley lies to the north of this road. At this point
is a cross road leading north-eastward from Platt
Bridge and Lowe Green to Westhoughton, having
a branch north to Aspull. Through the town,
adjacent to this cross road, runs a brook known here
as the Borden. Near the eastern boundary is the
village of Hindley Green ; from this a road leads
south to Leigh. The London and North-Western
Company's Manchester and Wigan Railway passes
through the township from east to west, with stations
at Hindley Green and Platt Bridge. The Lancashire
and Yorkshire Company's line from Wigan to Man-
chester also crosses the northern corner, where there
is a station ; and the two companies' joint railway
runs north through the western part of the township,
being there joined by a connecting line from the
North-Western main line. The Great Central Rail-
way's line to Wigan crosses the western end, and has
a station called Hindley and Platt Bridge.
There were formerly two * burning wells ' here, one
in Derby Lane, the other near Dog Pool, now called
Grange Brook. 2
The great business is coal-mining ; there is also an
iron foundry, and cotton manufacturing is carried on
extensively. The first factory is said to have been
erected near the end of the i8th century by Richard
Battersby at Lowe mill, formerly a water corn-mill.
A little later hand-loom weaving was one of the chief
industries, each cottage having a weaving shop at-
tached. 3
The Local Government Act of 1 8 5 8 was adopted
by the township in l867. 4 Under the Act of 1894
an urban district council of fifteen members has been
constituted. New council offices were opened in
1904.
A fair is held on the first Thursday in August.
A sundial, dated 1699, formerly stood at Castle
Hill. 5
HINDLET was no doubt one of the
M4NOR fifteen berewicks of the royal manor of
Newton before the Conquest. 6 After the
Conquest it continued to form part of the fee of
Makerfield, 7 and in 1212 one part was held in thegn-
age, in conjunction with Ashton, by Thomas de Burn-
hull. 8 The remainder was held by local families.
Swain son of Leofwin held the Burnhull share,
and gave it to a certain Gospatric in free marriage ;
in 1 2 1 2 Roger the son of Gospatric held this portion
of Thomas de Burnhull. Two oxgangs were at the
same time held by Adam de Hindley 'of ancient
feoffment,' i.e. by a title going back to the time of
Henry I at least. Another half plough-land was held
by Richard de Hindley, son of Robert ; portions of
this had been given to the Hospitallers and to Cocker-
sand Abbey. Some portion was perhaps still held in
demesne. 9
44 Local Glean. Lanes, and Ches. i,
209-14. He states that the Browns
had the Cockersand lands.
45 Engl. Cath. Nonjurors, 125, 152.
46 Bridgeman, Wigan Ch. 787 ; a dis-
trict had been assigned in 1862 ; Land.
Gax. 4 Nov.
47 Bridgeman, loc. cit.
48 Liverpool Catb. Ann. 1901.
1 2,612, including 30 of inland water;
Census Rep. of 1901.
2 Leyland, Hindley, 7. Baines quotes
an account from the Life of Lord Guild-
ford, of a visit to the burning well in
1676 ; Lanes, (ed. 1836), iii, 555.
8 Leyland, op. cit. 96, 104. An inter-
esting account is given, pp. 105-8, of the
former customs of the place ; the pace-
eggers and their drama, the Eastertide
lifting, maypole on the green, rush-bear-
ing, &c.
4 Land. Gax. 2 July 1867.
8 Land, and Ches. Antiq. Notes, i, 165.
6 V.C.H. Lanes, i, 286. The ancient
assessment appears to have been a plough-
land or a plough-land and a half.
7 See e.g. Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Chet. Soc.),
i, 138; ii, 99; ibid. (Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Ches.), i, 105.
8 Lanes. Inq. and Extents (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), i, 74. He had half a
plough-land in Hindley.
9 Ibid. 75. The Hospitallers' holding
is named in the Plac. de Quo War. (Rec.
Com.), 375 ; see also Lanes, and Cbes.
Hist, and Gen. Notes, i, 35. In the
rental of their lands compiled about 1540,
the following particulars are given : John
Atherton, a messuage, it. 4</., and a close
2s. $d. ; Robert Lee, a messuage, 6d. ;
Jonathan (?) Bate for Crockholcs, 6d. ;
Peter Langton, a messuage, 6d. ; Gilbert
106
Hindley, a messuage, 6d. ; 6s. in all ;
Kuerden MSS. v, fol. 84. John Leigh of
Westhoughton in 1619 held lands for-
merly belonging to the Hospitallers by a
rent of 6d. ; Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), ii, 133.
The Cockersand Chart. (Chet. Soc.), ii,
642-51, contains particulars of the grants
made to this abbey. Robert de Hindley
gave 6 acres, partly in Twiss Car by Lanu-
lache and partly by Aspenhead, with pas-
ture for as many animals as the man
might have who held the land from the
canons ; he also gave an acre on the
northern side of Bickershaw. Richard
his son confirmed these charters, and gave
further parcels in Berlets-housted and
Osbern meadow, and a third with his
body. Adam de Hindley also was a
benefactor, 10 acres and a messuage on
the north of Stony street, 4 at Ferny-
WEST DERBY HUNDRED
WIGAN
The mesne lordship of the Burnhulls appears to
have been surrendered, and the lords of Makerfield
had the various Hindley families as immediate tenants.
It appears, however, down to 1330, and the Pember-
ton holding was part of it. 10 Gospatric's immediate
successors seem to have been the Waleys or Walsh
family. 11
The two oxgangs of Adam de Hindley may
have been joined to that half plough-land or to
the half plough-land of Richard de Hindley to
form the moiety of the manor held by a family bear-
ing the local name. Gilbert de Culcheth was over-
lord of this in 1300. In November 1302 Adam
de Hindley complained that a number of per-
sons had joined in disseising him of a free tenement
in Hindley, a messuage with an acre of land, and an
acre of meadow, which he had had from one Adam
de Plumpton, who had purchased from Hugh de
Hindley. Gilbert de Culcheth replied as chief lord ;
he had taken possession fearing that the feoffment
made by Adam de Plumpton was contrary to the
statute. 1 * Some settlement was made, and the claim
was not prosecuted.
This moiety was divided into four parts, the descent
of which can be traced for some time. 13
In 1308 half of the manor was claimed by Robert
son of Fulk Banastre. 13a This was afterwards re-
covered by Robert de Langton, baron of Aewton,
from Jordan de Worsley, 14 and about 1330 the lord-
ship of the whole manor, together with lands in it,
halgh, and a land called Crokeland,
one head of which lay towards Platt and
the other towards Thuresclough, and
another portion bounded in part by the
Lanulache. These grants conveyed the
usual easements, including quittance of
pannage for pigs in Hindley Wood. Go-
dith daughter of Adam de Hindley gave
Tunkercroft by Glazebrook, lying north
of the Hospitallers' land. Robert Ban-
astre gave land in Fernyhalgh, and Robert
his son confirmed the preceding and other
gifts to the abbey. Thurstan Banastre
gave all his portion of the water called
Glazebrook from Marefalford to the ditch
of Henry the Hosteller of Hindley. In
1501 the heirs of Thomas Turton (6d.)
and Gilbert Langton (6</.) held these
lands ; Cockersand Rental (Chet. Soc.), 4.
10 Katherine wife of Hugh de Venables,
as widow of Peter de Burnhull, in 1331
claimed dower in two-thirds of an eighth
part of the manor of Hindley ; De Banco
R. 284, m. 119; 287, m. 185 d. Peter's
sisters and heirs, then minors, were called
to warrant ; ibid. R. 286, m. 170. Wil-
liam son of Adam de Pemberton was the
tenant.
11 Gospatric also had a grant of land in
Lathom, supposed to be represented by
the Cross Hall estates, of which in the
1 3th century the tenants were named
Waleys (i.e. Welsh). In Hindley Richard
le Waleys and Eleanor his wife held lands,
of which a portion was given in arms to
Cockersand Abbey ; Cockersand Chart, ii,
648.
"Assize R. 418, m. 3, 13. The de-
fendants were : John de Langton and
Alice his wife, as chief lords of the fee ;
Gilbert de Culcheth and Gilbert his son,
as lords of Hindley ; Henry de Atherton;
Richard de Molyneux of Crosby and
Beatrice his wife ; Alan de Windle ;
Robert son of Fulk Banastre ; Adam de
Bradshagh ; Adam de Urmston and Isa-
bel his wife ; Robert Bulgut ; Henry son
of Roger de Ince ; Hugh de Hindley ;
John son of Henry le Suur of Hindley ;
and Richard son of William Hert.
18 Some tenants occur in the last note.
In 1306 and 1307 Beatrice widow of
Hugh de Hindley claimed dower from
Hugh son of Roger de Ashton and others.
Hugh de Ashton called to warrant him
Adam son of Hugh de Hindley ; Adam de
Bradshagh and Margaret his wife also
called Adam de Hindley and John de
Broadash ; Thomas son of John son of
Maud called William son of Simon de
Warrington and Emma his wife ; John
Gillibrand called Hugh and Gilbert sons
of Richard de Culcheth ; De Banco R.
1 6 1, m. 132 ; 164, m. 212. Henry de
Atherton and Beatrice his wife in 1330
claimed 25 acres in Aspull, Hindley, and
Ince from Cecily the widow and Robert
the son of Robert de Hindley ; but it
appeared that Beatrice while sole had
demised them to Cecily, and the latter's
title was therefore admitted ; Assize R.
1411, m. 12 d.
In the following year Henry de Ather-
ton the elder and Beatrice his wife did
not prosecute a claim for lands in Aspull
and Hindley ; Henry de Atherton the
younger was one of his sureties ; Assize
R. i44 m - 1 8. Their sons were Henry,
William, John, and Thomas ; De Banco
R. 297, m. 103.
The younger Henry married Agnes
daughter and heir of Thomas son and heir
of Richard de Molyneux of Crosby and
Beatrice his wife; Assize R. 1411, m.
I2d. ; Final Cone, ii, 1 8. Henry and
Agnes were concerned in numerous actions
as to tenements in Hindley ; among others
was a claim in 1345 by Beatrice widow of
Richard de Molyneux to her dower in one-
eighth part of the manor of Hindley ; De
Banco R. 344, m. 442. The latest case
in which they are mentioned is in 1356;
Duchy of Lane. Assize R. 5, m. lod.
Agnes daughter of Henry de Atherton of
Hindley, after a divorce between herself
and Adam son of John Dickson, released
her right to lands in Wigan in 1347 ;
Towneley MS. GG, no. 2568.
In 1358 Beatrice daughter and heir of
Henry de Atherton, and then wife of
Thomas de Wight, claimed from Richard
de Atherton and others a messuage and
lands in Hindley. The defence was a
grant by Henry de Atherton to Richard ;
see Hindley D. no. 25, 26, in Local Glean.
Lanes, and Ches. ii, 150. Beatrice alleged
that this had been merely in the nature of
a trust, she being then under age. Her
claim, however, was rejected ; Assize R.
638, m. 3d. Beatrice was soon left a
widow ; Dtp. Keeper's Rep. xxxii, App.
338 ; and afterwards married Thomas
Hert ; De Banco R. 462, m. 199 d. In
1460 a bond of 100 was given at Wigan
by John son of Richard Hert to Charles
Hert, who purchased the Hert estate in
Hindley and Westleigh ; Ellis son of
Charles sold in 1500-1 to Thurstan
Southworth ; Trans. Hist. Soc. (new ser.),
iv, 166-71. Margaret wife of Richard
Tothill and Alice wife of William Edge
were in 1519 the heirs of their father John
Hert, described as son of Richard son of
John on of William Hert ; Pal. of Lane.
Plea R. 128, m. 14 d.
The share of the manor derived from
the Molyneux family was by Thomas
Hert in 1390-1 released to William de
Charnock of Charnock, Richard and Henry
Blundell of Little Crosby, other heirs of
107
Richard and Beatrice de Molyneux ;
Blundell of Crosby D. K. 282. In 1517
the feoffees of Nicholas Blundell released
to him their interest in the eighth part of
the manor ; ibid. K.. 179. Henry Char-
nock was in 1535 found to have held a
messuage and lands in Hindley of Sir
Thomas Langton by fealty only ; while
in 1573 a moiety of (the eighth part of)
the manor was claimed for Thomas Char-
nock ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. viii, no.
28 ; xiii, no. 5. In 1346 Robert de
Nevill of Hornby demanded a messuage
and land in Ashton in Makerfield from
John son of Henry de Atherton of Hind-
ley, in right of his wife Joan daughter of
Henry son of Hugh de Atherton and heir
of the latter ; De Banco R. 346, m. 349.
It is probable that her inheritance was a
portion of the estate in this neighbourhood
held by the Harringtons of Wolfage in the
i6th century; Hindley in the partition
was allotted to the Standishes ; Norris D.
(B.M.).
The Athertons of Atherton held lands
in Hindley under the Hospitallers; Lanes.
Inq. p.m. (Chet. Soc.), i, 107. See also
the Inq. p.m. of George Atherton in 1535;
v, no. 12. His son John is named in the
list of their tenants already given. A
decree as to Kidd land in Hindley was
made in Elizabeth's time between Stand-
ish and Atherton ; Lanes, and Cbes. Recs.
(Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), ii, 253.
The Lathoms of Wolfall in Huyton
held their lands under the Culcheths by a
rent of id. ; Inq. p.m. ix, no. 10 ; the
Gerards of Ince under the Langtons of
Lowe by the rent of 3.1. id. ; ibid, vii, no.
27. John Urmston in 1508 was found
to have held his lands of Gilbert Langton
of Lowe by fealty and a rent of zs. "jd. ;
ibid, iii, no. 30.
Hugh Hindley of Aspull was in 1531
found to hold his lands in Hindley of
Thomas Langton by a rent of iod. ;
ibid, vi, no. 22. In this case the mesne
lord may have been overlooked.
Ua Harl. MS. 2042, fol. 60 ; quoting
De Banco R. 167. In 1303 this Robert
Banastre alienated an oxgang and a half
to Jordan son of Richard de Worsley ;
Final Cone, i, 202. John son of Robert
de Langton and Alice his wife put in
their claim as chief lords of Makerfield.
14 In 1316 and later years Robert son
of John de Langton and Alice Banastre
claimed from Jordan de Worsley two
parts of the moiety of the manor of
Hindley which Robert Banastre, great-
grandfather of the claimant, granted to
Fulk Banastre and his issue, and which
after the death of Robert son of Fulk
Banastre without issue should revert to
him. Jordan at first pleaded that the
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
LANGTON. Argent
three cheverom gulei.
was granted to Robert de Langton, a younger son ot
the Robert just named, from whom descended the
Langtons of LOfFE in Hindley, 15 the last of the line
being Edward Langton, who
died in 1733. The descent
is stated in cross-suits by Peter
Langton and Ellen widow of
John Langton in 1444. The
former said that Henry son of
Adam de Manchester, chap-
lain, holding (as trustee) the
manor of Hindley, granted it
to Robert de Langton and
Margaret his wife and their
heirs. 16 In virtue of this
their son and heir Robert
succeeded them, and was followed by his son John,
who married Amice daughter of Roger de Brad-
shagh of Westleigh. John lived to a great age,
dying in July 1443 ; his son Gilbert died before him,
leaving as heir his son, the above-named Peter ;
John's second wife Ellen was the other party to the
suits. 17 Peter Langton died at sea in May 1450,
leaving a son and heir Gilbert, seven years of age. 18
In 1528 there was a dispute between Robert Lang-
ton of the Lowe and others as to the title to waste
lands and the right to dig coal. The plaintiff, son of
Gilbert Langton, asserted that he was sole lord and
owner of the manor of Hindley, and he had built
some cottages on the waste, assigning to each a plot
of ground ; this was on account of ' the increase and
multiplying of the people in those parts,' and
sufficient pasture had been left for the other free
tenants. Gilbert Culcheth, however, held a manor
described as ' half the manor,' and a dwelling called
Hindley Hall ; and Hugh Hindley of Aspull, whose
ancestors had from time immemorial been seised of nine
messuages and 80 acres in this moiety of the manor,
took the law into his own hand, disregarded the in-
closure, and dug and got coal and turf as accustomed,
and this 'with strong hand, by the aid of certain his
masters, gentlemen.' It appeared that about 1475
permission to get coal had been asked by ' old Hugh
Hindley's wife,' and had been granted by Gilbert
Langton, then chief lord of Hindley. Inclosures
being then a general grievance, the Chancellor of the
Duchy and his council ordered seven of the cottages
to be pulled down and various parcels of land to be
restored to the common, from thenceforth ' not to be
kept in severally by any pretending to be lords of the
said waste.' Others they allowed to stand. The
tenants were to have the right to take turf and dig
coals, which, ' within late years,' had been found on
the waste ; but to prevent abuses Robert Langton
and his heirs were to nominate three charter-holding
tenants and Gilbert Culcheth one, to ' appoint the
places where coal and turbary should be digged and
taken for fuel ' of the general body of tenants. 19
Peter Langton at his death in January 15723 held
the manor of Hindley of the heirs of Thomas
Langton of Makerfield in socage by fealty only. 20
The heir was his son Robert, then twenty-six years of
grant to Fulk had been in fee and not to
his issue, but seems to have withdrawn,
and the case went against him by de-
fault; De Banco R. 216, m. 56 ; 257, m.
72d.; 264, m. 264. In 1319 there was
also a claim for the third part of the moiety
against Adam de Bradshagh and Isabel his
wife, widow of Fulk Banastre ; De Banco
R. 229, m. 129.
Jordan de Worsley left a daughter and
heir Margaret, who married Thurstan de
Tyldesley, and they at Michaelmas 1352
claimed the manor of Hindley against
Sir Robert de Langton. The jury, how-
ever, did not allow it ; Duchy of Lane.
Assize R. 2, m. 2 d.
Edward Tyldesley of Morleys in 1621
held his lands in Hindley of Philip Lang-
ton ; Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes.
and Ches.), ii, 260.
15 Lanes. Inq .p.m. (Chet. Soc.), ii, 95.
There is a difficulty in having a younger
Robert de Langton so early as 1330, but
the pleadings seem to require it. It
should be noticed that Robert de Lang-
ton, the husband of Margaret, is usually
identified with the baron of Newton ; see
Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Chet. Soc.), i, 98, and
Vint, of 1533 (Chet. Soc.), 24, 25.
16 Final Cone, ii, 194. The whole
grant comprised a third part of the manor
of Langton in Leicestershire, a messuage
and plough-land in Hendon, a messuage
and 38 J acres in Walton le Dale, the
manor of Hindley, and half the manor of
Golborne.
A number of Hindley deeds are among
the additional charters in the B.M. in-
cluding :
No. 17670. Grant by Robert son of
Sir John de Langton to Henry de Milne-
gate, chaplain, of the manor of Hindley ;
I325-
No. 17674. Grant by Robert de Lang-
ton to Henry (son of Adam) de Man-
chester, chaplain, of the manor of Hindley
and half the manor of Golborne ; 1334.
No. 17683. Quitclaim by Ralph son
and heir of Sir John de Langton to
Robert son of Sir Robert de Langton of
the manors of Hindley, Langton, and
Hendon ; 1361.
No. 17687. Quitclaim by Henry son
and heir of Ralph de Langton to John son
and heir of Robert de Langton, junior, of
the manor of Hindley, &c. ; 1395.
No. 17690. Refeoffment to John de
Langton of Hindley and Agnes his wife
of tenements in Hindley; 1419.
No. 17694. Settlement by John de
Langton of Hindley in favour of his wife
Ellen de Radcliffe ; 1429.
No. 17698. Grant in tail by Peter de
Langton, chaplain, to John de Langton
his brother ; 1432.
No. 17699. Grant to William son of
John de Langton ; 1433.
V Pal. of Lane. Plea R. 6, m. 1 5, 1 6.
In the former of these suits Peter claimed
from Ellen a box of charters, containing
among others the final concord and
marriage covenant referred to' and an
exemplification of the said fine granted
by Richard II in 1391 at the request of
John de Langton. In the second Ellen
claimed damages from Peter Langton,
Robert Gerard, and many others, for
trespass on her close at Hindley and
destruction of her corn and grass. Ellen
claimed a life interest in the manor by
grant from her late husband ; but as she
did not appear when summoned judge-
ment was given for the accused.
In a later case William son of John
Langton is mentioned ; ibid. R. 8, m. i,
37*.
The inquisition taken after the death
of John Langton in 1443 confirms the
statements in the text ; Peter the grand-
son and heir was then twenty-four years
108
of age. It recites a grant made in 141 3 by
the deceased to Gilbert his son and his
wife Elizabeth daughter of Sir Thomas
Gerard, who afterwards married William
Gernet. The manor was held of Henry
Langton, lord of Makerfield, but by what
service the jury were ignorant ; it was
worth, including the Hollinhey, 10 a
year ; Towneley MS. DD, no. 1471.
18 Early Chan. Proc. 22-137, and
26-611 ; petitions by William Langton,
to whom his ' cousin ' Peter had be-
queathed Gilbert's wardship.
19 Duchy Plead. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and
Ches.), i, 160-71. The hall was tenanted
by James Strangeways, and came to be
known as Strangeways Hall.
The Gilbert Langton, father of Robert,
had a brother Thomas, to whom in 1485
certain tenements in Hindley were granted
for his life ; Agecroft D. no. 348. By an
indenture of the same date Robert son
and heir of Gilbert Langton of the Lowe
confirmed a grant by Ralph Langley,
warden of Manchester, to Peter Langton,
son of the said Gilbert, for life ; B.M.
Add. Chart. 17707.
Gilbert Langton of Lowe, ' squyer,'
was one of the gentry of the hundred in
1512. Robert his son and heir apparent
occurs in 1505 ; Towneley MS. GG, no.
1534. In 1512 Gilbert Langton made a
grant of certain lands in Hindley to
Robert his son and heir apparent ; B.M.
Add. Chart, no. 17715. In Aug. and
Sept 1555 Sir Thomas Hesketh of
Ruffbrd and others made grants of lands
in Hindley to Gilbert son of Peter Lang-
ton of Hindley, deceased ; ibid. 17719-20.
20 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xii, no. 14.
Peter Langton was in possession of the
manor in 1549, when he made an ex-
change of lands with Gilbert Culcheth ;
Local Glean. Lanes, and Ches. ii, i. It is
with him that the recorded pedigree begins.
WEST DERBY HUNDRED
age. The tenure is stated * as in free socage, by a
rent of three pepper-corns ' in the inquisition after
the death (1595) of Robert Langton, who was
succeeded by his son Philip, then aged twenty-six. 21
Robert Langton of the Lowe, a justice of the peace
but of 'mean living,' was in 1590 reported to be
' well affected in religion ' ; he had spoiled his estate
and used ' bad company.' M At the same time
Edward Langton of Hindley, one of the ' gentlemen
of the better sort,' and perhaps a brother of Robert,
was a ' recusant and thereof indicted.' 23 The head
of the family, however, soon reverted to the ancient
religion/ 33 and Abraham Langton, son and heir of
Philip, in 1628, as a convicted recusant, paid double
to the subsidy. 24
This Abraham Langton, as a ' papist delinquent,'
had his estates sold for treason by the Parliament in
1652 ; 25 but appears to have recovered at least a
portion of them. He was living, sixty-six years of
age, in 1664, when he recorded a pedigree at the
Visitation." 3 His son Philip, then aged thirty-six,
succeeded him, and was tried in 1694 for participa-
WIGAN
tion in the Lancashire Plot. 26 Very shortly after-
wards he was succeeded by his son Edward Langton, 27
who as a 'papist' registered his estate in 1717."
Edward died without issue in 1733, leaving his pro-
perty to Catherine his wife for life and to nephews
and nieces named Pugh. Wil-
liam Pugh had Hindley, and
his nephew and heir, Edward
Philip Pugh of Coetmor in
Carnarvonshire, sold the manor
of Hindley and the Lowe
Hall estate to the Duke of
Bridgewater, the Earl of
Ellesmere being the present
on
owner.
The Culcheth moiety of
the manor descended to Tho-
mas Culcheth, who died about
1744 ; by his will it passed
to the Traffords of Croston. 30
Among the other early families of the place may
be named Nightegale, 31 Barker/ 2 and Harper. 33
EGERTON, Earl of
Ellesmere. Argent a
lion rampant gules be-
tween three pheons sable.
21 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xvi, no.
12. Philip Langton and Mary his wife
were deforciants of tenements in Hindley
in 1597 ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle.
jS, m. 324 ; and of the manor and
estate in 1612-13 ; ibid. bdle. 81, m. 52.
22 Gibson, Lydiate Hall, 244, quoting
S.P. Dom. Eliz. ccxxxv, 4.
23 Gibson, op. cit. 246.
233 In 1607 lands of Philip Langton,
recusant, were farmed out to Sir Arthur
Aston ; Pat. 5 Jas. I, pt. 22, 25 July.
He died at Lowe 22 Jan. 1625-6 ; the
manor was held of Sir Richard Fleet-
wood and the heir was Abraham Langton
son of Philip, then aged twenty-nine
years and more ; Local Glean. Lanes, and
Ches. ii, 2. The heir's Christian name
was derived from his mother's surname,
she being one of the coheirs of Thomas
Abram or Abraham of Abram.
Norris D. (B.M.). Elizabeth his
wife occurs in the Recusant Roll of 1641 ;
Tram. Hist. Soc. (new ser.), xiv, 239.
Abraham Langton in 1631 paid 10 as a
composition on declining knighthood ;
Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i,
213.
28 Index of Royalists (Index Soc.), 43.
He afterwards petitioned to be allowed
to compound ; and on the petition of
' divers well-affected persons," his tenants,
he was informed that it was 'just and
reasonable' to request him to allow his
tenants liberty of pre-emption or a
renewal of their leases at the ancient
rents. Later, in Dec. 1653, Major John
Wildman, who had contracted to purchase,
received an order to take possession ;
Royalist Camp. Papers (Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Ches.), iv, 56-9.
25a Dugdale, Vitit. (Chet. Soc.), 174.
36 Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. xiv, App. iv,
303, &c.; on p. 362 is an account of his
arrest at Wepre in Flintshire, where he
was attending the burial of his sister-in-
law ; he had married a daughter of Ed-
ward Pennant of Bagillt. In Jan.
1688-9 he broke an innkeeper's head
with his cane, for proposing the health of
the Earl of Derby a sufficient indication
of his politics ; see the amusing anecdote
on p. 214. He had been indicted for re-
cusancy in 1678 ; ibid. 109.
87 In Aug. 1687 a fine was made
concerning the manor of Hindley, seventy
messuages, a water-mill, dovecote, gardens,
lands, wood, furze and heath, turbary,
moor and moss and 801. rent in Hind-
ley and Westleigh ; the deforciants were
Philip Langton and Elizabeth his wife,
Edward Langton son and heir of Philip
and {Catherine his wife, and George
Langton ; George Pennant was one of
the plaintiffs ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F.
bdle. 219, m. 64.
28 Engl. Catb. Nonjurors, 123. The
value of the estate was ^69 is. 20". For
a mortgage by him see Local Glean. Lanes,
and Ches. i, 272. Edward Langton of
Lowe in 1728 granted to John Rigby of
Hindley a messuage and land there ; B.M.
Add. Chart. 17733.
89 Baines, Lanes, (ed. 1870), ii, 191 ;
from information ' supplied by Mr.
William Langton.' In Piccope's MS.
Pedigrees in the Chet. Lib. (ii, 234) it is
stated that Edward Langton's sister Eliza-
beth married Pugh; their son William is
described as ' of Lowe, jeweller.' Their
other children were Philip Pugh of
Pemerhyn or Penwryn, Carnarvonshire
(whose son Edward was the vendor),
Joseph, Winifred, Anne, and Frances. The
references are to Piccope MSS. (Chet.
Lib.), iii, 178, 234, 254, 258, 270, from
the Roman Catholic D. enrolled at Pres-
ton.
In Aug. 1758, by fine, Edward
Philip Pugh and Mary his wife remitted
to William Carghey messuages and lands
in Hindley ; the manor is not named ;
Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 361, m.
132.
80 Cal. Exch. of Pleas, Lanes. C. 301,
where the will of Thomas Culcheth is
given. In 1771 Humphrey and John
Trafford were vouchees of the manor of
Croston and various other lordships, in-
cluding a fourth part of the manor of
Hindley, with the hall known as Hind-
ley Hall or Strangeways Hall ; Pal. of
Lane. Plea R. 613, m. 10; also at
Aug. Assizes, 1797, R. n.
In 1364 Gilbert de Culcheth, a minor,
by his guardian John de Blackburn, de-
manded against Cecily, widow of Gilbert
de Culcheth the elder, messuages and
land in Hindley which the elder Gilbert
gave to Gilbert his son and Joan his wife,
and which should now descend to the
plaintiff as son and heir. Cecily claimed
the manor of Hindley and all its demesne
lands for life by a charter from her late
husband and a quitclaim from his son,
plaintiff's father; dated 1354; De Banco
R. 418, m. 227.
John Culcheth, who died at the begin-
ning of the reign of Charles I, held ' the
manor of Hindley ' ; Duchy of Lane. Inq.
p.m. xxix, no. 67. For a decree as to
Strangeways Hall at this time see Lanes,
and Cbes. Recs. ii, 244.
81 A number of suits are on record
brought in 1292 by John Nightegale and
Alice his wife against Hugh de Hindley,
Adam son of Hugh de Hindley, Robert
son of Adam de Hindley, and others.
Alice was the widow of Adam de le
Woodhouses. John had a son Henry.
The surname is spelt in many ways
Nutegal, Nithingale, Nichtegale, Nithe-
gale, and Nightingale ; Assize R. 408,
m. 12, 7 d. 59 d. 58 d. 57.
In 1330 Robert del Coran and Eva his
wife, Jordan de Rixton and Agnes his
wife, and Amota daughter of Robert de
Ashton, claimed land in Hindley from
William the Fisher by inheritance. It
appeared that Roger son of Whinilda
married Leukia daughter of Richard the
Boor, seised in the time of Edward I,
and left a daughter Agnes as heir ; Agnes
had three daughters Eva and Agnes
plaintiffs, and Emma, formerly wife of
Robert de Ashton, represented by her
daughter Amota ; De Banco R. 275, m.
7 ; 278, m. 31 d. ; 281, m. 78 d.
82 Local Glean. Lanes, and Ches. ii, 144.
Alice daughter of Robert Dicconson of
Hindley married Hugh the Barker in
1401 ; her property descended, in the reign
of Henry VIII, to William Barker, who
was succeeded by five daughters, Agnes,
Margery, Ellen, Cecily, and Elizabeth,
married respectively to John Hulme,
James Harrison, Richard Astley, Henry
Waterworth, and William Ainsworth.
88 In Towneley MS. OO, are preserved
a number of deeds regarding the lands of
Adam the Harper of Hindley and his
descendants. Adam's son William acquired
lands about 1299, an< ^ was living in 1331 ;
nos. 1465, 1470, 1449. His son John
made a feoffment in 1334 ; no. 1466; and
his sons John and Thomas sold their
lands in 136410 Adam son of Richard
son of John de Hindley ; no. 1443,
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
Philip Langton of Lowe, Robert Pinnington, and
Peter Harrison of Hindley, occur among the free-
holders of 1600.** In 1628 Abraham Langton and
Christopher Stananought were the freeholders contri-
buting to the subsidy. 84 Nicholas Ranicars of Hindley
had his estate sequestered by the Parliament in 1650
* for delinquency in the late wars,' and was allowed to
compound. 36 A family named Marsh resided here.* 7
A decree concerning the boundaries between
Hindley and Ince, and the division of the wastes, was
made in the time of Charles I. 88
Before the Reformation there was a chapel at Lowe
in Hindley ; but the Langtons probably claimed it as
private property, and then allowed it to decay , 39
The next church in Hindley was erected in 1641
on land given by George Green, 40 subscriptions
being collected for the building from the inhabitants.
It was built with the approbation of the rector of
Wigan, then Bishop Bridgeman ; there was a chancel
at the east end, and the Established services were
adhered to, one of the Wigan curates officiating. 41
The place was, as early as 1643, regarded as Puritan, 41 *
and its first regular minister, Thomas Tonge, con-
formed readily to the Presbyterian discipline estab-
lished a few years later. 41 He was succeeded by
William Williamson, 48 and he by James Bradshaw,
ejected in 1662 for nonconformity. 44 The chapel
seems to have remained unused for six years, and
then a succession of curates followed ; some of the
feoffees were Nonconformists or sympathizers, and
thus conforming ministers had probably an uneasy
time. 45 In 1690 a determined attempt was made to
secure the chapel for the Dissenters, their worship
now being tolerated, by the appointment of Thomas
Whalley, an open Nonconformist. 46 The matter was
finally taken into the Duchy Court ; after a long trial
the chapel was secured for the Establishment and con-
secrated in 1698 on All Saints' Day. 47 It was rebuilt
in I766, 48 and with some alterations remains in use.
It is now known as All Saints' Church. The church
property is still in the hands of trustees, but the
curates and vicars since 1708 have been appointed by
the rectors of Wigan. 49 There is a mission chapel
called St. Augustine's.
St. Peter's, Hindley, was consecrated in 1866, the
patronage being vested in trustees. 50 To the recent
churches of St. Nathaniel, Platt Bridge (1905), and
St. John the Evangelist, Hindley Green (1903), the
Bishop of Liverpool collates. 51
The Wesleyan Methodists acquired land in 1846,
and built a chapel in 1851. Another chapel was
built in 1869 in Walthew Lane, Platt Bridge." The
United Methodist Free Church have two chapels at
Hindley Green Brunswick Chapel, built in 1855,
and another in I866. 53 The Primitive Methodists
have one at Castle Hill, built in 1856, and another at
1462 ; Trans. Hist. Sac. (new sen), iv,
161 ; the purchaser had a son Richard,
who in 1430 made a settlement of his
lands ; OO, no. 1459. The ancestor of
this branch of the Hindley family was
perhaps the Richard son of Beatrice who
had a grant from Robert Banastre, lord of
Makeriield ; the rent was to be 41. a
year ; no. 1471.
A grant of Burghurst in Hindley by
Hugh de Thursaker is printed in Pal.
Note Bk. iv, 150.
84 Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.),
i, 238, 243, 251.
In the Hindley D. printed in Local
Glean. Lanes, and Ches. ii, 167, are some
referring to the Harrisons of Hindley ;
Peter Harrison, living in 1637 and 1651,
had a son and heir John, who in the
latter year was rector of Ashton under
Lyne, and has found a place in Diet. Nat.
Biog.
Peter Harrison, 'late solicitor to the
County Committee,' had in 1651 joined
the Earl of Derby, but being angry with
him for plundering, recalled his two sons ;
Cal. of Com. for Compounding, iv, 2955.
These sons are called Captain Jeremiah
and Lieutenant Nathaniel Harrison in
1652 ; Cal, of Com. for Advancing Money,
iii, 1445.
Richard Wood of Hindley died 12 Jan.
1612-13 seised of a messuage and lands
in Hindley held of the king, as of his
manor of Enfield by a rent of 31. 4^. ;
Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and
Ches.), i, 262.
86 Norris D. (B.M.). Christopher Stana-
nought was son and heir of William,
living in 1602 ; Hindley D. no. 10.
86 Cal. of Com. for Compounding, iv,
2519. John Ranicars was not allowed
to compound for a messuage and lands
purchased from Nicholas.
8 ? Wills of John and James Marsh, of
1670 and 1687 respectively, are printed in
Lanes, and Ches. Hist, and Gen. Notes,
ii, 44, 80. See also Gillow, Bibl. Diet,
of Engl. Cath. iv, 467-70.
88 Lanes, and Cbes. Recs. ii, 278.
89 It is mentioned in one of the
Culcheth deeds dated 1517 ; as an an-
nuity was to be paid there it must have
been open to the people of the district ;
Lanes, and Ches. Hist, and Gen. Notes,
', ij.
40 This account is derived from Canon
Bridgeman's Wigan, 757-80, in which are
reprinted a number of the Hindley D.
from Local Glean. Lanes, and Ches. ; John
Leyland, Mem. of Hindley, 1873 ; the
Kenyon MSS. (Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. xiv,
App. iv) ; Lanes, and Cbes. Hist, and
Gen. Notes, i, 12, &c. In Leyland's
book are given extracts from the wardens'
accounts and many personal reminiscences.
In the Liverpool Dioc. Gay,, for Oct. 1905
will be found a further account, the
object being to show that this was not a
Puritan effort ; special stress is laid upon
the almost perfect orientation.
A contributor was Chisenhall Bret-
targh, who died before 1652. In October
that year a settlement was made of
disputes between Alice Brettargh the
widow and Edward son of Edward Chisen-
hall, the former surrendering the lease of
her house on receiving ,260. Chisenhall
Brettargh was a captain at the defence of
Lathom House, and otherwise took part
in the wars on behalf of Charles I ; he was
buried at Wigan 12 Dec. 1645, being
described as ' Captain Chisnall Bretter de
Hindley'; he left children: Edward,
Jonathan (died in 1664), Frances, and
Elizabeth. From j. P. Earwaker's MSS.
41 Leyland, Hindley, 21, from the
petition for consecration in 1698. The
statement that the ' prayers of the
Church' had been duly said from 1641 to
1669 requires to be corrected by the re-
membrance that at least the period 1645
to 1668 was an exception. Part of the
endowment was given in 1655 by John
Ranicars.
41a For the Cavaliers' behaviour in
Hindley (Henden) Chapel see Ormerod,
Civil War Tracts (Chet. Soc.), 63.
IIO
4a Thomas Tonge was in 1646 a mem-
ber of the fourth Presbyterian Classis ;
Baines, Lanes, (ed. 1870), i, 227.
48 William Williamson was minister in
1650, 'an able, godly, and painful
minister," the Parliamentary Commis-
sioners described him, 'of good life and
conversation ' ; Commonto. Cb. Surv.
(Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), 61. He
died 9 Feb. 1656-7 ; Plund. Mins. Accts.
(Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), ii, 181.
44 Bridgeman, op. cit. 758-60 ; he
afterwards ministered at Rainford Chapel.
Another James Bradshaw had been acting
rector of Wigan, 1643-53.
45 Ibid. 779, 762.
46 Bridgeman, op. cit. 763, 765-7.
John Green in 1690 tendered a certifi-
cate to the justices at Lancaster, so that
the chapel might be recorded as ' a place
appointed to dissenting Protestants for
their religious worship ' ; but the court,
on the opposition of the Bishop of
Chester, refused ; Hist. MSS. Com. Rep.
xiv, App. iv, 245, 246 ; see also 270,
where the quarrels of the Dissenters are
noticed ; and 415.
4 ? Bridgeman, op. cit. 769-72. In this
document it is not called All Saints'
Church.
48 A brief was issued in 1763 on behalf
of the rebuilding.
49 Bridgeman, op. cit. 602-5. See
Lend. Gax. 2 July 1878 for the formation
of the present chapelry.
John Croudson, incumbent from 1789-
1811, was also head master of Wigan
Grammar School ; he visited the village
one day in each week ; Leyland, op. cit.
29.
80 Land. Gaa. 14 May 1867, 26 Mar.
1875, &c. See Bridgeman, op. cit. 780 ;
Leyland, Hindley, 57, 58.
61 Leyland, op. cit. 75-7 ; Nightingale,
Lanes. Nonconf. iv, 13.
52 Leyland, op. cit. 78, 79 ; Nightingale,
op. cit. iv, 21. The chapel was practically
unused from 1862-82.
58 Leyland, op. cit. 79.
WEST DERBY HUNDRED
Platt Bridge, built in I854. 54 The Independent
Methodists have one at Lowe Green, built in 1867."
The Particular Baptists built Ebenezer Chapel in
Mill Lane in i854. 56
The Congregationalists made a first effort in 1 794,
but no church was formed until 1812 ; St. Paul's
Chapel was built in 1815, meetings for worship having
been held some years earlier in cottages. Certain
differences between the minister, the Rev. William
Turner, and the majority of the congregation caused
him to resign in 1830; his friends opened a tem-
porary building in the Bridge Croft, and built a
church in 1838, where he officiated till l86z. 57
The ejected Presbyterians of 1698 built another
place of worship for themselves ; it has been continu-
ously used, the present congregation being Unitarian
in doctrine. 58
Nothing is known of the permanence of the ancient
religion during the I7th century, but mass was prob-
ably said at Lowe Hall as opportunity was afforded.
Dom John Placid Acton, a Benedictine, was stationed
at this place in 1699, and died there in 1727 ;
succeeding priests, who till 1758 resided chiefly at
Park Hall in Charnock Richard, or at Standish Hall,
moved the chapel to Strangeways and then to
Hindley village; this change was made in 1789.
From 1758 there has been a resident Benedictine
priest in charge ; and the present church of St.
Benedict in Market Street was built in
ABRAM
Edburgham, 1212; Adburgham, 1 246, and com-
mon ; Abraham, xvi cent. ; Abram, xviii cent. Pro-
nounced Abbram.
Abram is situated in the centre of a coal-mining dis-
trict ; the surface of the country is flat except in the
south, where it is very slightly undulating. The sur-
roundings are characteristic of a coal-producing district,
distinctly unpicturesque, dingy grass-fields alternating
with collieries, pit-banks, and railway lines. Some
fields are arable and produce crops of wheat and oats.
There is much pasture land. Trees are in the
minority, and stunted and blackened with smoke.
The hawthorn hedges which divide the fields are low
and spare. The soil is a stiff clay which holds a
quantity of water on its surface, for besides occasional
* flashes ' caused by mining, the fields appear to be
slightly flooded at most seasons of the year. It is a
district of sett-laid roads and cinder-paths. In the
northern part of the township the geological forma-
WIGAN
tion consists of the Coal Measures. At some distance
from the southern boundary this formation dips under
the New Red Sandstone and the intervening Per-
mian Beds.
The area is 1,982 acres, 1 and in 1901 the popula-
tion numbered 6,306. Part of the western and nearly
all of the southern boundary is formed by a brook
running through Hindley, and called successively Eye
Brook and Glazebrook ; by it Bamfurlong, 3 in the
extreme west, is cut off from the main portion of the
township.
Abram village lies in the north-western corner,
where the road from Wigan to Warrington by Gol-
borne crosses the township, meeting at the village
other roads from Ashton on the south-west, and from
Leigh on the east. Bickershaw 3 lies by the last-
named road, near the eastern boundary. Plank Lane
is a hamlet in the south-eastern corner, situate on the
road from Leigh to Newton. Dover is a hamlet on
the south-west border.
The London and North Western Company's railway
from Warrington to Wigan crosses the western
corner of the township, with a station called Bamfur-
long ; a branch of its Wigan and Manchester line
has a station at Plank Lane ; the Great Central Com-
pany's Manchester and Wigan line passes north
through the middle of the township, with two stations
called Westleigh and Bedford, and Bickershaw and
Abram. The Leigh branch of the Leeds and Liver-
pool Canal passes through near the southern border.
Coal-mining began about sixty years since.
A local board was formed in 1880. The township
is now governed by an urban district council of twelve
members, elected by four wards.
Before the Conquest, as after, ABRAM
MANOR appears to have been a member of the
manor and fee of Newton. 4 Henry II
gave it to Warine son of Godfrey, and his descendants,
assuming the local name, held it to the I7th century.
This Warine confirmed a grant by his nephew, William
de Occleshaw, to Cockersand Abbey, for the souls of
King Henry and others. 5 His son Richard was a
benefactor to the same house, granting Bernegrenes,
on the south of Walter's Pool, with other lands and
liberties. 6 Richard de Abram was in possession in
1 21 2, holding the manor as 4 oxgangs by a rent of
\s. ; a third part had been given in alms. 7 John son
of Richard confirmed the previous grants to Cocker-
sand and added a ridding by Glazebrook. 8 Warine
Banastre granted an oxgang of his demesne to the
same canons, 9 and Robert son of Robert Banastre
gave a general confirmation about I25O. 10
54 Leyland, op. cit. 79.
55 Ibid. 79.
56 Ibid. 78.
*7 Ibid. 75-7; Nightingale, op. cit. iv,i3.
58 Leyland, Hindley, 64-75. The chapel
was built in 1700 by Richard Crook of
Abram and conveyed to trustees in 1717,
James Green of Abram being one. Owing,
it is said, to an attempt by William Daven-
port, minister in 1777, to carry the endow-
ment to the Presbyterian chapel at Wigan,
he became unpopular, was assaulted and
finally resigned. He is said to have been
Arian in doctrine. Unitarianism pre-
vailed here by the end of the i8th century,
but from the account of a disturbance in
the chapel in 1833 it would seem that
some Trinitarians then remained in the
congregation. Particulars of the endow-
ment, now considerable, on account of coal
mining on the land, are given in the
Report of the End. Char, of Wigan, 1899,
pp. 90-7.
59 Mr. Gillow in Trans. Hist. Sac. (new
ser.), xiii, 153, 154, where it is stated
that Bishop Matthew Gibson confirmed
fifty-nine at Strangeways in 1784 ; there
were 259 communicants ; Liverpool Cath.
Ann. 1901. See further in Leyland,
Hindley, 62, 63, for reminiscences of Dom
Anselm Appleton, 1808-36.
1 1,984, including 26 of inland water;
Census of 1901.
2 Banforthlang, 1448.
8 Bykershagh, 1365.
4 V.C.H. Lanes, i, 286.
6 Cockersand Chart. (Chet. Soc.), ii, 661.
' Ibid. 663. The first of his charters
III
names ' the deep lache which was the
boundary between Abram and Occleshaw.'
' Lanes, Inq. and Extents (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), i, 77. How King Henry
came to have Abram in his hands is un-
known. The third part in alms probably
refers to the Occleshaw and other gifts
recorded in the text.
8 Cockertand Chart, ii, 664. In 1246
John de Abram quitclaimed his right in
200 acres of land to Peter de Burnhull ;
Final Cone. (Rec.Soc. Lancs.and Ches.),i, 98.
9 Cockersand Chart, ii, 660.
10 Ibid, ii, 643. The following were
the abbey tenants in 1501 : John Ashton,
I2</. ; William Culcheth, I2</. ; Richard
Atherton and Robert Bolton, in Bicker-
shaw, each 6d. j Cockersand Rental (Chet.
Soc.), 4.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
The family pedigree cannot
be traced satisfactorily. 11 A
Gilbert Abram died about 1470
leaving two daughters as heirs ;
Constance married Henry By-
rom and Isabel married James
Holt ; " and the later holdings
of these families probably re-
present the inheritance of the
daughters." The manor, how- ABRAM. Azurtawn
ever, continued in the male tplendour or,
line 13a to Thomas Abram, who
died in 1606, also leaving two daughters to divide the
property. 14 The elder, Susan, married Henry Lance,
of a Cornish family, 15 and the manor was assigned to
her ; the younger daughter, Mary, married Philip
Langton of the Lowe in Hindley. 16 All adhered to
the ancient religion, and suffered accordingly under
the persecuting laws in force. 17 In 1652, however,
Abraham Lance, the son and heir of Henry and Susan,
being ' conformable,' petitioned for the removal of the
sequestration of his mother's lands, and on condition
that he abjured his religion they were allowed to
him. 18 It does not appear whether he actually re-
gained possession or not, but the ruin of the family,
several members of which fell in the Civil War fighting
as Royalists, could not be averted. 19
Shortly afterwards William Gerard and Anne his
11 Adam de Abram occurs in 1246;
Assize R. 404, m. 13 d. In 1270-1
Robert de Abram and Robert and Adam
his sons were defendants ; Curia Regis R.
20 1, m. ijd. From one of these may
descend the John son of Richard son of
Robert de Abram mentioned in 1 342 ;
Towneley MS. GG, no. 2670.
Richard de Abram, probably the head of
the family, was a juror in 1288 ; Inq. and
Extents, i, 273. Johnson of Richa d de
Abram was a defendant in 1301 ; Simon
de Holland was plaintiff; Assize R. 419,
m. 4d. ; 418, m. 2. John de Abram
seems to have died soon after his father,
for in 1 305 the defendants in a case con-
cerning land were Richard son of John de
Adburgham, Agnes widow of John, Maud
widow of Richard (probably the grand-
father), Henry de Huyton, William and
Roger de Bradshagh, Simon de Holland,
John Gillibrand, and William son of
Roger de Ashton ; the plaintiff was
Richard son of Adam del Lache. This
list probably includes all or most of the
freeholders ; Assize R. 420, m. 8. Many
years later, in 1324-5, Richard del Lache
claimed common of pasture from Richard
de Abram ; Assize R. 426, m. 9. In
1 3 24 an agreement was made between
Adam de Kenyon and Richard de Abram
that the latter should marry Adam's
daughter Godith, her portion being ,40 ;
Harl. MS. 2112, fol. 159-9$.
William de Abram was a juror in 1387 ;
Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Chet. Soc.), i, 25. Soon
afterwards there are several references to
Gilbert de Abram, who was a juror in
1416 ; ibid, i, 116. In 1419 a proclama-
tion was issued forbidding armed men to
go about to the peril of the king's peace,
with special reference to Gilbert de Abram
and his sons John and William, who had
entered the lands of Richard del Lache at
Abram ; Def>. Keeper's Rep. xxxiii, App. 17.
John de Abram, probably the son of
Gilbert just mentioned, appears to have
died about the beginning of 1446, when
the writ Diem clausit extremum was issued ;
Dep. Keeper's Rep. xxxix, App. 533.
William de Abram, gentleman, and Joan
daughter of John de Abram, occur in suits
of 1445 ; Pal. of Lane. Plea R. 8,
m. I, 6.
12 In the time of Edward IV there was
made a settlement of his estate, or part of
it, in favour of his two daughters ; Towne-
ley MS. CC, no. 651. It is described as
seven messuages, 124 acres of land, &c.
John Abram was the deforciant. Possibly
he was the heir male ; in which case Gil-
bert must have been dead at that time.
In the Visitations the father's name is
given as John.
About 1500 James Holt with Isabel his
wife and Constance Byrom a widow, as
cousins and heirs of Hugh Boydell and
daughters and heirs of Gilbert Abram
claimed a right of toll from all who crossed
the Mersey between Runcorn and Thel-
wall ; Duchy Plead. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and
Ches.), i, 39-41. In Ormerod's Ches. (ed.
Helsby), i, 596, it is stated that Isabel,
one of the sisters and co-heirs of Robert
Boydell, was married to John Abram as
early as 1405 ; Gilbert was the son and
heir ; a few years later she was the wife
of Nicholas Langton. The other sister,
Margaret, married Hugh Reddish. See
also op. cit. ii, 723.
18 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xi, no. 46 ;
Thomas Holt of Grislehurst. In the in-
quisition taken after the death of Henry
Byrom in 1613, it was found that he had
held lands in Abram, &c., of the lord of
Newton, but the service was not known ;
Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and
Ches.), i, 273 ; ii, 12.
X8a Thomas Abram seems to have been
lord about 1500 and John Abram in 1528 5
Duchy Plead, i, 162, 163. In 1540 Thomas
Abram was defendant in a claim to mes-
suages, &c., in Abram put forward by Gil-
bert Hindley and Elizabeth his wife ;
Ducatus Lane. (Rec. Com.), i, 163.
14 In 1 567 Thomas Abraham, the last of
the family, was deforciant of the manor of
Abram, and lands in the township ; Pal.
of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 29, m. 68 ; and
again, in conjunction with Mary his wife,
in 1600; ibid. bdle. 62, m. 275. The
remainders in the former settlement are
thus stated : To Peter brother of Thomas,
Sir Thomas Gerard, Thomas and George,
sons of the late Richard Abraham of
Westleigh ; Pal. of Lane. Plea R. 223,
m. 1 8. Thomas Abraham, in October
1606, was buried at Wigan, as 'father-in-
law to Mr. Henry Lance of Abram ' ;
Wigan Reg. He was on the recusant list
of 1599-1600; Gillow, Bill. Diet, of
Engl. Catb. iv, 112.
15 Visit, of Corn-w. (Harl. Soc.), 124.
The story of the marriage is curious.
'Abram of Abram, a gentleman of 100
land in Lancashire, put his daughter
and heir unto my lady Gerard of the
Brynn. Sir Thomas and my lady being
here in London, one Dwelles, a fencer
near Cecil house, and his wife, by indirect
means being of kin to the girl did in-
vite all my lady's children and gentle-
women unto a breakfast. They came
thither, and at their coming the youths
and serving men were carried up to the
fence school. My lady's daughters and
gentlewomen must needs play at the cards,
will they nill they. The girl Abram, by
the wife of the house, was conveyed into
a chamber and shut the door after her and
there left her. The girl found in the
chamber four or five tall men. She knew
112
them not. And immediately the girl fell
into a great fear, seeing them to compass
her about. Then began an " old priest "
to read upon a book. His words she
understood not, saving these words: "I
Henry take thee Susan to my wedded
wife," etc. This done they charged the
wench never to discover this to anybody
living ; and so sent her down to her
fellows. And dinner being done the
wench told to her fellows very lamentably
what had been done ; and they over to
Sir Thomas and my lady.' The date of
this deposition is 1583. Quoted in Ley-
land's .Abram from Ellis's Original Letters
(Ser. i), ii, 292.
16 By an indenture of 10 Dec. 1598
the estate was secured to Mary wife of
Thomas Abram for life, with reversion
to Henry Lance and Susan his wife, eldest
daughter of Thomas Abram, and their
heirs ; in default, to Philip Langton and
Mary his wife, younger daughterof Thomas
Abram ; Leyland, op. cit. 1 1. Mary
Abram gave 90 to the school at Hindley.
17 An informer gave evidence that Abra-
ham Lance and Abraham Langton so
named from their mother's family were
' present at a meeting of some of the
leading Catholics of the county, held at
the house of Widow Knowles in Ashton
the day before Newton Fair, 30 July 1623,
at which Sir Thomas Gerard is asserted to
have made a treasonable speech. In 1626
Abraham Lance, of Abram, gent, and
Emma his wife are found in the recusant
rolls' ; Gillow, op. cit. iv, 112.
In 1628 Henry Lance the father, as a
convicted recusant, paid double to the
subsidy ; Norris D. (B.M.). He was
buried at Wigan, 7 Jan. 1629-30.
18 Cal. Com. for Compounding, iv, 2967 ;
Royalist Comp. Papers (Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Ches.), iv, 55. No reason is assigned
except the recusancy of the petitioner's
mother, who was buried at Wigan 9 Sept.
1648, as 'Old Mrs. Susan Lance of Dai-
ton.' Emma wife of Abraham Lance
was buried at the same place 17 Mar.
1651-2.
19 Abraham Lance certainly had issue,
for a son Henry was baptized at Wigan
in 1619, and another was buried in
1620; Wigan Reg. Hence the Cap-
tains Abraham and Robert Lance stated
by Lord Castlemain to have been slain at
Rowton Heath may have been his sons ;
John Lance was another of the family,
killed at Islip ; Gillow, loc. cit. A Cap-
tain Lance was taken prisoner 6 Mar.
1 643-4 ; Civil War Mem. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.) 125. Abraham mar-
ried again, Elizabeth daughter of Richard
Mascy of Rixton, and afterwards wife of
George Mascy, being his second wife ;
Dugdale, Visit. (Chet. Soc.), 194.
WEST DERBY HUNDRED
WIGAN
wife were in possession,* and sold the manor to
Richard Hilton/ 1 with whose daughter Abigail it
descended to her children by her husband Thomas
Crook. 22
The new owner it appears was a zealous Protestant,
and his son Richard Crook was the builder of the Non-
conformist chapel at Hindley, after the existing one
had been recovered by the Bishop of Chester. 23
Richard died without issue in November 1 727, and the
inheritance, which, besides Abram, included lands in
Walton le Dale and elsewhere in the county, 24 passed
to his five sisters as co-heirs. 25 The manor of Abram
seems to have been the portion of the second sister,
Anne, who married John Darbyshire of Warrington,
and her only child, Abigail, married Thomas Clay-
ton, M.D., of Little Harwood. 16 Their grandson,
Thomas Clayton, in 1785 sold the manor to Peter
Arrowsmith of Astley, who in 1828 sold it to John
Whitley, and his son Henry Jackson Whitley, of Big-
gleswade, succeeded. 27 His son, Mr. John Henry
Arthur Whitley, of Bourton, Salop, is the present
owner ; but no manorial rights are claimed. 28
The portion called OCCLESHAW, as has been seen,
was granted to Cockersand Abbey, 29 and was occupied
by the Urmston family ; 30 after the Dissolution it
came into the possession of the Earl of Derby. 31 The
Occleshaw family long continued to hold an estate in
the township ; 32 this eventually passed into the hands
of Abigail Crook, and became part of her Abram es-
tate. 33
BAMFURLONG was the possession of the Ashton
family for a long period 34 ; it then passed to a junior
90 In 1649 Abraham Lance appointed
William Gerard of Garswood, son and heir
apparent of Sir William Gerard of Brynn,
receiver for behoof of Abraham Lance and
his wife and their heirs, with remainder
to the use of the said William Gerard ; a
bond, signed by William Gerard in 1667,
mentions that Abraham Lance had died
about seven years before without male
issue. See J. Leyland's Abram, 12, for
fuller abstracts of these and other deeds.
Fines relating to the above are Pal. of
Lane. Feet of F. bdles. 146, m. in ; 180,
m. 17.
21 On 1 6 Sept. 1667 the estate was
conveyed to Richard Hilton of West-
leigh, yeoman, for 1,505 ; it included
two pews in Wigan Church ; also the fol-
lowing fee-farm rents : ' William Leyland,
51. ; John Anderton, p. 4^. ; late Fran-
ces Dukinfield, I \d. ; Richard Occleshaw,
I3</. ; James Wreast, 3*. 5</.; Thomas Hol-
land, is. 6d. ; Roger Culcheth, zd. ; John
Lithgoe, id.;' see Leyland, op. cit. 12,
13. Richard Hilton died at the beginning
of 1690.
22 Ibid. 14. Thomas Crook is described
as of Hoole, Lancashire. He was the
founder of numerous charities, and left
money ' to the preaching Protestant min-
ister of Hindley chapel.' He expressed a
desire to be buried with his mother (Mar-
garet Green) and brother in Standish par-
ish church ; Leyland, op. cit. 14, 1 18-21 ;
also Local Glean. Lanes, and Ches. i, 147.
An accusation of coin clipping, probably
false, was made against William Crook and
Thomas his brother in 1684 ; Hist. MSS.
Com. Rep. xiv, App. iv, 173, 175.
23 Leyland, Hindley, 65.
34 The will of Thomas Crook already
quoted mentions estates at Bretherton,
Much Hoole, Mawdesley, Walton le Dale,
Billinge, Euxton, Ulnes Walton, Leyland,
Farington, Alston, and Whittingham.
Richard had an elder brother Caleb, who
also died without issue.
Abigail Crook, the widow, died about
1705 ; an abstract of her will is printed in
Local Glean, ii, 231, in which volume is
much information as to the Crook family.
Several documents about their properties
are in the possession of W. Farrer.
25 Ibid, ii, 231, 237. The eldest sister,
Lydia, married Thomas Yates of Whit-
church ; the second, Anne, married John
Darbyshire of Warrington ; the third,
Abigail, married in 1707 John Andrews
of Bolton le Moors ; the fourth, Margaret,
married (i) John Percival of Liverpool
and Allerton, and (2) Thomas Summers
of Liverpool ; the fifth, Isabel, married (i)
Danvers, and (2) Rev. Thomas Heysof
Rainhill.
36 In 1734 all the heirs joined in a
lease of the manor of Abram, viz. Tho-
mas Yates and Lydia his wife, Thomas
Clayton and Abigail his wife, John An-
drews and Abigail his wife, Thomas Sum-
mers and Margaret his wife, Thomas
Heys and Isabel his wife. There is an
account of the Clayton family in Abram's
Blackburn, 556-61.
a ' Leyland, Abram, 15, 1 6.
28 Information of Mr. Whitley and
Mr. William Valiant of Newton.
39 ' The whole land of Occleshaw ' was
granted by William de Occleshaw to the
canons of Cockersand about the end of
the 1 2th century. The bounds are thus
given : 'From where Deep lache runs
down from Bageley head, by the lache to
Glazebrook, up this brook and Occleshaw
brook, to Rushy lache and so to Bicker-
shaw, then up the lache to the Slavi-lache,
by this to within Bageley wood Eves, and
so to Deep lache ;' Cockersand Chart, ii,
660, 664. William de Occleshaw is
called William Gillibrand in the confirm-
ing charter ; and John Gillibrand had the
land as the canons' tenant in 1268 at a
rent of izd. ; ibid. 643, 66 1. Other Oc-
cleshaws occur in Hindley and Aspull.
The spelling of the Cbartulary is Aculue-
saue or Aculuesahe ; in 1292, Okeleshawe.
80 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p. m. iii, no. 30 ;
John Urmston of Westleigh, 1507.
81 Lana. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and
Ches.), ii, 433 ; Richard Urmston, 1624.
The rent payable was i zd., as paid by John
Gillibrand.
82 In 1292 William del Platt unsuccess-
fully claimed right of way beyond the
lands of Thomas and Roger de Occleshaw
in Abram ; Assize R. 408, m. 65 d. The
same William demanded lands in Abram
and Ince from William Gillibrand, Mar-
gery his wife, and others in 1305 ; it was
agreed that he should receive a rent of $d.
for them ; Assize R. 420, m. 3 d. A fine
between Beatrice daughter of Thomas
de Occleshaw and her father in 1303 set-
tled a messuage and lands upon her ; Final
Cone, i, 200. Richard Gillibrand and
Cicely his wife ; Roger Gillibrand ; and
Margery and Lucy, daughters of Adam
son of William Gillibrand, occur in vari-
ous suits of 1365 ; De Banco R. 419, m.
192, io8d. ; 420, m. 17.
John Occleshaw of Abram, gentleman,
was a trustee in 1531 ; Add. MS. 32105,
no. 912. Thomas Occleshaw in 1568
held four messuages, &c. in Abram ; Pal.
of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 30, m. HI. In
1600 John Occleshaw was a freeholder
and Henry Occleshaw in 1628 ; Misc.
(Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 240 ;
Norris D. (B.M.).
88 A mortgage by Richard Occleshaw
and Thomas his son in 1698 seems to
have prepared the way to a sale, the re-
lease being granted 3 Apr. 1700 ; the
purchase money was 590. In 1713-14
an indenture was made between Thomas
Occleshaw and Elizabeth his wife, and
Thomas son of Thomas and the repre-
sentative of Abigail Crook. From ab-
stract of title in possession of W. Farrer.
84 It is possible that this was the oxgang
of land held by Alan de Burton in 1212,
rendering yearly i zd. in fee-farm ; Lanes.
Inq. and Extents, i, 77.
William son of John de Ashton was a
defendant in 1305 ; Assize R. 420, m. 8.
Amota daughter of Robert de Ashton
by his wife Emma was with Robert del
Coran and Eva his wife and Jordan de
Rixton and Agnes his wife a plaintiff in
1329 respectingjlands in Abram; De Banco
R. 278, m. 31 d. ; 281, m. 76. Another
suit of the series is recorded under Hind-
ley ; the defendant in the Abram cases is
called William de Ashton instead of
William the Fisher. William de Ashton
contributed to the subsidy of 1332 ; Exch.
Lay Subs. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), 13.
Richard de Ashton of Abram attested a
Newton charter in 1373 ; Raines MSS.
(Chet. Lib.), xxxviii, 146. Richard de
Ashton of Abram in 1388 granted to his
son Roger and another lands in Sankey
and Penketh acquired from Margaret
widow of Simon de Langtree ; ibid. 87.
The name occurs in 1445 in a complaint
by Katherine the widow and Gilbert the
son of William de Ashton, as executors,
against Richard de Ashton of Abram and
others, respecting the seizure of cows and
other property ; Pal. of Lane. Plea R. 8,
m. 6. In the following year there were
cross-suits between Katherine the widow
and Oliver, Gilbert, and James the sons
of William de Ashton, and Richard, also
son of William de Ashton of Abram,
Hindley, and Ince ; ibid. R. 9, m. 1 3^, 14,
146. In 1448 William son of Richard
de Ashton of Bamfurlong was charged
with breaking into Sir John de Byron's
close at Atherton ; ibid. R. 12, m. 6.
In 1478 a marriage was agreed upon
between Oliver son and heir of Thurstan
Anderton and Margaret daughter of
John Ashton of Bamfurlong ; Duchy Plead.
(Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), ii, 92, 97.
John Ashton, about fourteen years of
age and in ward to Roger Anderton of
Bickershaw, being son and heir of Gilbert
Ashton, in 1552 made complaint that
various servants of Sir Thomas Gerard
had prevented his viewing Bamfurlong
Hall and its lands, Sir Thomas apparently
asserting that a Richard Ashton was the
15
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
branch of the Gerards, described as ' of Brindle ' 3i ; and
probably by sale to the later Gerards of Ince, and has
descended with the Westwood property. 86
Nothing definite can be stated about the descent of
BICKERSH4W, formerly called a manor. 17 In the 1 6th
century it was owned by the Holcrofts, and sold by
them to Richard Ashton in I599-' 8 Ralph Ashton
about thirty years later sold it to Frances widow of
Robert Dukinfield of Dukinfield near Stockport.* 9
It descended in this family until 1760, when it was
sold to Richard Clayton of Adlington ; and it was
again sold in 1790 to Edward Ackers of Newton,
surgeon. The trustees of Abraham Ackers, who died
in 1864, are the owners ; it is leased to the Abram
Coal Company. 40
A branch of the Culcheths were long seated in
Abram. 41 The inquisition taken after the death of
John Culcheth in 1586 shows that he had held lands
in Abram of Thomas Abram by a rent of I d., and in
Hindley of John Culcheth of Culcheth by a rent of 6d. a
A pedigree was recorded in i664, 43 but the family
afterwards migrated to War-
wickshire, and in 1750 sold
the property. 44
Adam Bolton, 44 John Occle-
shaw, John South worth, Roger
Culcheth, Cecily Ashton, and
Nicholas Huyton, were the
landowners contributing to a
subsidy collected about 1556. 46
The Corless, 47 Lithgoe, 48 and
Leyland 49 families were long
resident here.
A plot of land in Park Lane,
known as the Morris Dancers'
ground, is popularly supposed to be held by them on
condition that a morris dance be celebrated there
once in twenty years.*
CULCHETH. Urgent
an eagle sable preying up-
on a child swaddled gules.
true heir; ibid, iii, 124, 125. At the
same time John Ashton and Richard his
son alleged their title to Bamfurlong
against Richard, Cecily, and Anne Ashton,
Roger Anderton, Gilbert Lee, Gilbert
Houghton, and Ralph Anderton ; Ducatus
Lane. (Rec. Com.), ii, 1 14.
John Ashton of Bamfurlong, senior, and
his son and heir were in 1590 among the
'comers to church but no communicants';
Gibson, Lydiate Hall, 246, quoting S.P.
Dom.Eliz.ccxxxv, 4. Ini 598 as an avowed
recusant he was called upon to pay 10
for ' her Majesty's service in Ireland ' ;
ibid. 262, from S.P. Dom. Eliz. cclxvi, 80.
John Ashton, claiming by inheritance
from Richard Ashton, deceased, demanded
in 1 594 an estate in Bamfurlong, &c., from
Adam Hawarden, Margaret Ashton, and
Lawrence Bispham ; Duchy Plead, iii, 293.
In that year Richard Ashton of Bamfurlong
had died holding nothing, as the inquest
found, and leaving a son Richard who was
but sixteen in 1609 ; Lanes. Inq. p.m.
(Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 130. At
the Visitation in 1613 (Chet. Soc. 17)
Richard was said to be twenty years of
age ; his father Richard was son of John
Ashton of Bamfurlong. John Ashton had
died in 1603, being buried on 30 July at
Wigan ; Reg. Richard Ashton, being a
convicted recusant, paid double to the sub-
sidy in 1628 ; Norris D.(B.M.).
85 This family recorded a pedigree in
1664, in which they are already described
as 'of Bamfurlong'; Dugdale, Visit.
(Chet. Soc.), 1 1 8. It is not clear how
they obtained possession. In 1684 John
Ashton called for an inquiry as to the
title of Henry Gerard, son of Henry
Gerard, a solicitor, deceased, to the
hall of Bamfurlong, a water corn-mill, and
various lands, formerly the property of
Richard Ashton and his daughter Mary,
deceased ; Exch. Depot. (Rec. Soc.), 65.
There is a charge of ' dishonest contri-
vances' against the elder Henry.
86 See Gillow, Bill. Diet, of Engl. Cath.
ii, 43 1 ; Leyland, Abram, 1 8, 19. From
the latter it seems that Henry Gerard the
son in 1681 married Cecily West, who
in 1717 (now Cecily Howett) as ' a papist '
registered an annuity of 80 derived from
her first husband ; Engl. Catb. Nonjurors,
128. Henry's brother Ralph, a priest,
served the domestic chapel at Bamfurlong.
87 Sir Thomas Holcroft held Bickershaw
manor of James Browne by a rent of 6J.
in 1558 ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. x, no.
13. There was a large amount of dis-
puting about it at the time, as will be
seen by a reference to the Ducatus Lane.
(Rec. Com.), i, 145, 150; ii, 56, 194.
Hugh Bradshaw and Constance his wife
were in possession in 1535, but Thomas
Holcroft's title was allowed.
88 William Holcroft and Elizabeth his
wife were vendors ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of
F. bdle. 61, m. 139.
89 It was purchased from Edward Bolton
in 1671, according to the statement in
Leyland's A bram, 20 ; but was acquired by
Frances Dukinfield in 1633 or 1634 from
Ralph Ashton and Katherine his wife ;
Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 124, m. 18.
The later succession is described in
Leyland, 21-8. See also Pal. of Lane.
Feet of F. bdle. 362, m. 129.
40 Leyland, op. cit. 23, 24 ; and infor-
mation of the secretary to the company.
Nothing of the old house remains.
41 Some deeds concerning the family have
been preserved by Towneley, Add. MS.
32105, no. 906-23. The other informa-
tion is given in the Culcheth papers publish-
ed in Lanes, and Ches. Hist, and Gen. Notes.
In 1392 John son of Thomas de Cul-
cheth had lands in Abram and Hindley ;
his son Roger had married Ellen daughter
of Henry son of Robert de Blackrod ; Add.
MS. 32105, no. 915.
William Culshaw in 1531 arranged for
the marriage of Roger, his son and heir,
with Janet daughter of John Richardson ;
his own wife was named Margery ; ibid.
no. 911, 912,919. The lands in Hindley
were called Occleshull and Taleor, and in
Abram, Longfield.
42 Ibid. no. 909. The holding in Abram
was two messuages, two tofts, two gardens,
two orchards, 40 acres of land, 20 acres
of meadow, and 20 acres of pasture.
Roger Culcheth was his son and heir, and
six years of age.
48 Dugdale, Visit. (Chet. Soc.), 92.
Roger Culcheth was still living, aged eighty-
four; his son George recorded the pedigree.
His two eldest sons had been slain at
Newbury, and a younger son in Wirral in
the Civil Wars ; Thomas, the third son,
aged forty-four, was the heir.
44 See Lanes, and Ches. Hist, and Gen.
Notes, ii, 228, for a continuation of the
pedigree by Mr. J. P. Rylands. Roger
Culcheth of Wottenbury in Warwick-
shire, by his will of 1701, left his estate
in the parish of Wigan to his brother
Thomas of Studley in Warwickshire,
tanner; ibid. p. 120. This Thomas left
a son William, who seems to have been the
114
last of the family connected with Abram;
ibid, i, 275, 276. See also Payne's Engl.
Cath. Rec. 26. Part of their land is now
the property of the trustees of Abigail
Crook's charities.
Roger Culcheth of Abram, as a ' papist,'
registered his estate in 1717, the value
was 64 151. 4</. ; Engl. Cath. Nonjurors,
124. The name of the family had
constantly appeared on the Recusant Rolls ;
Gillow's Bibl. Diet. Engl. Cath. i, 608.
45 Adam, son and heir-apparent of
Robert Bolton, was a surety for William
Culcheth in 1531 ; Add. MS. 32105, no.
912. The father and son were engaged
in numerous disputes as to their property,
called Blackfields, Mossheys, Lower House,
New Earth, etc. ; see Ducatus Lane. (Rec.
Com.), i, 1 66, &c. It appears that Robert
Bolton died in 1552 or 1553 ; his wife's
name was Elizabeth Holden. Another
Robert Bolton is mentioned in 1583 (ibid,
iii, 149), and the inquisition after the
death of Edward Bolton in 158713 in Duchy
of Lane. Inq. p.m. xv, no. 48. The tenure
is not recorded ; Edward's heir was his son
William, twenty-three years of age.
William Bolton was a freeholder in
1600 and Edward Bolton in 1628 ; Misc.
(Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 239 ;
Norris D. (B.M). This is perhaps the
Edward Bolton who sold Bickershaw Hall
in 1671. Deeds relating to Bolton House
in Abram and other properties of the family
are printed in Lanes, and Ches. Hist, and
Gen. Notes, ii, 39, 47.
46 Mascy of Rixton D.
47 Richard Corless as a landowner con-
tributed to the subsidy of 1628 ; Norris D.
(B.M.).
48 Nicholas Huyton of Blackrod in 1528
held lands in Abram of the heirs of John
Abram by a rent of 51. ; Duchy of Lane.
Inq. p.m. vi, no. 53. In 1628 John Lith-
goe contributed to the subsidy 'for Huy-
ton's lands ' ; Norris D. (B.M.).
49 William Leyland was a trustee in
1626 ; Add. MS. 32105, no. 906. Their
connexion with the township ceased about
1 780; but John Leyland of Cheetham
House (afterwards called the Grange) in
Hindley represented them down to his
death in 1883 ; his accounts of Hindley
and Abram, published in 1873 and 1881,.
have been used in these notes. A grant
of arms was made to him in 1863 ; Lanes,
and Cbes. Hist, and Gen. Notes, iii, 34.
50 Leyland, op. cit. 1 14 ; the custom
was observed in 1880. Mr. William Vali-
ant informs us that this is still kept up.
WEST DERBY HUNDRED
WIGAN
The church of St. John was erected in 1838 for the
accommodation of members of the Established Church. 41
The rector of Wigan is patron of this, but trustees
present to the new church of St. James and St. Eliza-
beth, Bickershaw
A Congregational chapel was built in 1897.
A school was founded at Lowe in 1632 by Mrs.
Mary Abram. 42
HAIGH
Hage, 1193 ; Hagh, 1298, and common, with
Haghe ; Ha, Haw, xvi cent. ; also Haigh.
This township forms the north-eastern corner of
the parish. On the west it is bounded by the Doug-
las, and on the north a small brook running into the
Douglas divides it from Blackrod. The ground rises
towards the east and north, and the village of Haigh,
near the middle of the Aspull boundary and z\ miles
north-east of Wigan, is one of its highest points,
about 5 20 ft. above sea level. The Hall is on the
slope of the hill to the west of the village. The
area is 2,135^ acres. 1 The population in 1901 was
1,164.'
Roads lead from the village, north to Blackrod, west to
Standish, and south to Wigan and Aspull. The London
and North Western and Lancashire and Yorkshire Com-
panies' joint railway passes through the township on the
western side, where it is joined by a short connecting
line from the Wigan and Preston Railway ; there is
a station called Red Rock. The Lancaster Canal
also winds through the western part of the township,
near the Douglas.
The woods and grounds of Haigh Hall, occupying
500 acres, clothe the south-western slopes with
pleasant scenery in contrast with the surrounding
collieries of a black country. It is a common sight
to see the gaunt and black coal-shafts rising from
the midst of corn fields and plantations. For Haigh
has its agriculture, as well as mining and manufacturing
industries, wheat, oats, and potatoes being grown in
spite of an exposed situation and smoke from
neighbouring factories &c., the soil being clay upon
a shaley rock. The Hall itself commands a fine
panorama of the district around Wigan. Haigh has
long been celebrated for its cannel coal ; 3 this is
almost exhausted, but coal-mining is the great indus-
try of the place. There are also a brewery, and
dyeing and bleaching works.
The township is governed by a parish council.
William Roby, 1766 to 1830, a Congregational
divine of note, was a native of Haigh. 4
The early history of the manor of
MANOR HAIGH cannot be traced. About
12201230 it belonged to the Marsey
fee, sold to Ranulf, Earl of Chester. 4 A Hugh de
Haigh, most probably Hugh le Norreys, to whom the
adjacent Blackrod was granted, paid 3 marks in
11934 for having the king's good will. 6 Richard
de Orrell granted to Cockersand Abbey land in
Haigh, adjacent to Hugh's ridding, about I22O; 7
and as a century later Sir Robert de Holland held
it of the Earl of Lancaster, 8 together with other
manors which had belonged to Richard de Orrell,
it might be supposed that Haigh was part of the
Orrell family's holding. 9 In 1282, however, Hugh
son of Alan le Norreys was lord of Haigh. 10
In 1298 William son of Richard de Bradshagh
and Mabel his wife were in possession of the manors
of Haigh and Blackrod, 11 which were Mabel's right
as heir of the last-named Hugh le Norreys. Her
husband from his name is supposed to have been a
descendant of the Bradshaghs of Bradshaw, near
Turton.
In 1302 William de Bradshagh held the twelfth
part of a knight's fee in Haigh of the Earl of
Lancaster ; " ten years later the title of William and
81 Leyland, Abram, 29-35. The tenures
of the second and third of the incumbents
appear to have been shortened by their
parishioners' objection to what was called
' ritualism.' The district chapelry was
formed in 1843 ; Land. Gats. I Aug. and
3 Oct. 1843.
53 Gastrell, Notitia, ii, 256.
1 2,130 acres, including 68 acres of
inland water ; Census Rep. of 1901.
2 Including Willoughby's.
8 See the account by Roger North in
1676, quoted in Baines, Lanes, (ed. 1836),
from the Life of Lord GuildfirJ, iii, 554 j
see also Baines, Lanes. Dir. 1825, ii, 613.
There is a notice of a cannel mine being
on fire in 1737 in Lanes, and Ches. Hist,
and Gen. Notes, iii, 106.
4 Diet. Nat. Biog.
6 Ormerod, Cbes. (ed. Helsby), i, 37,
from the Duchy Coucher. The Marsey
fee is only imperfectly described in the
survey of 1212.
6 Farrer, Lanes. Pipe R. 78 ; after the
rebellion of John, Count of Mortain,
afterwards king. If Hugh le Norreys be
rightly identified with Hugh de Haigh it
may indicate that he had been settled in
Haigh before Blackrod was granted to him;
Lanes. Inq. and Extent* (Rec Soc. Lanes,
and Ches.), i, 68, where he is called Hugh
de Blackrod.
7 Cockersand Chart. (Chet. Soc.), ii,
612. The boundaries began at 'the road
to the church,' and went up to the head
of Green syke, and so to Hugh's ridding,
and by the dyke to the starting point.
8 Inq. 1 1 Ed w. II, no. 4, quoted
below. Haigh and Blackrod were both
held of Sir Robert.
After Robert de Holland's forfeiture it
was found that he had held the manor by
a rent of lod. ; Roll of Foreign Rent
of Derbyshire in Duchy of Lane. Ren-
tals, 379. In an account of his lands
made about 1326 it is stated that his
manor of Haigh had been leased to Henry
de Atherton and Adam de Bradshaw for
20 a year ; Duchy of Lane. Misc.
10/15.
In the Feodary compiled in 1324 it is
stated that Robert de Holland held the
manor of Haigh by the service of io</.
as the fourth part of a knight's fee ; Dods.
MSS. cxxxi, fol. 36^. In all other
inquisitions the twelfth, not the fourth,
part of a fee is recorded. The lod. rent
continued down to the I7th century.
9 See the account of Orrell.
It is more likely that Robert de Hol-
land had had the grant of a mesne manor
from Thomas, Earl of Lancaster, and that
it was not restored to him by Edward III.
10 So described he attested a Haydock
charter of Robert de Holland's in that
year ; Raines MSS. (Chet. Lib.), xxxviii,
231. From the account of Blackrod it
will be found that the descent was as
follows : Hugh le Norreys (1191-1221)
s. Hugh (1233) bro. Alan s.
"5
Hugh dau. Mabel. Hugh son of Alan
had a brother Henry, &c.
Emma la Norreys held messuages and
lands in Haigh in 1290; De Banco R.
86, m. 95.
11 Final Cone. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and
Ches.), i, 185 ; a surrender to William
de Atherton. It is recorded that Thomas
de Osbaldeston put in his claim. Kuerden
(MSS. ii, fol. 213, no. 5) has preserved a
grant of the manor by William de Ather-
ton to William de Bradshagh, about that
time or earlier.
In 1295 William and Mabel de Brad-
shagh had a contest with Adam de Walton,
rector of Wigan, the latter charging them
with having diverted the water-course
between Haigh and Standish to the injury
of his mills. They replied that they had
only erected a mill by the Douglas, two
leagues from Adam's mill. The jury
found that the new mill had been made
by William's father, Richard de Bradshagh,
while he was guardian of William and
Mabel, and that it had been to the loss
of the rector's mill; Assize R. 1306, m.
19; 1321, m. 7d.
Brief and unsatisfactory abstracts of
some Bradshaw deeds are printed in
Croston's edition of Baines, Lanes, iv,
291, 292. There are others in Kuerden
MSS. loc. cit.
12 Lanes. Inq. and Extents, i, 313; Feud.
Aids,m,%i. The mesne lordship of Robert
de Holland is not recognized here or later.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
Mabel was assured by a fine. 13 For his share in
Adam Banastre's rebellion in 1315 and the death of
Henry de Bury, 14 Sir William de Bradshagh was
outlawed for felony and by 1317 his manors of Haigh
and Blackrod had been taken into the king's hands
and demised to Peter de Limesey, but Mabel de
Haigh intruded herself. 15 Sir William was living in
I328, 16 and appears to have been killed at Winwick
in August i333- ir
Mabel's title to the Norreys lands must have been
recognized, for in 1336 and 1337, when a widow
and childless, she arranged for the succession to the
manors as absolute owner, granting them to her
husband's nephews ; Haigh to William, a son of John
de Bradshagh, and Blackrod to Roger son of Richard,
who was another son. 18 In 1338 she founded a
chantry in Wigan Church for her husband's soul and
her own, as also for the soul of Edward II. 19 In
1346 Mabel de Bradshagh, heir of Hugh le Norreys,
held the manor of Haigh for the twelfth part of a
knight's fee and by the service of lod. yearly. 20 She
was living two years later.* 1
Early in 1365 Roger de Bradshagh of Westleigh
demanded the manor of Haigh from William de
Bradshagh and Sir Henry de Trafford, in virtue of
the settlement of 1312." There may have been two
Williams in succession, for William de Bradshagh,
who died in 1380 seised of the manor of Haigh, left
a son and heir Thomas only twelve years of age. 23
Thomas de Bradshagh took part in the Percy rising
of 1403 and was present at the battle of Shrewsbury ;
afterwards he received a pardon from Henry IV. 24
He was living in 14.2$.
His son and heir was James Bradshagh, 26 who, with
many others, was accused of the death of John
Tailor ; he appears to have been released from
attendance at the trial, but died in the summer of
1442 before it came to an end. 27 He had held lands
in Wigan called Rudgatehurst of the rector, and the
manor of Haigh of the king, as Duke of Lancaster, for
the twelfth part of a knight's fee and by the service
of ioJ. yearly. His son and heir was William
Bradshagh, aged twenty-three. 28
William Bradshagh was accuser and accused in
various pleas of the next succeeding years." He had
several children, but the manor descended to his son
James, 30 who died in May 1491, leaving as heir his
son Roger, then twenty-three years of age and more.
There were also two younger sons, Ralph and William,
and a daughter Constance. 31 Roger, who was made
a knight, had no children, and died in December
1537, the heir being his brother Ralph, then about
18 Final Cone, ii, 9. The remainder
was to 'the heirs of William,' which
occasioned a lawsuit later. Also Kuer-
den, loc. cit. no. 3.
14 Coram Rege R. 254, m. 52.
15 Inq. a.q.d. II Edw. II, no. 4. The
inquiry was made at Haigh in June 1318,
when the manors had been in the king's
hands a year and a day. It may be added
that in 1319 Mabel asserted that her
husband was dead ; Assize R. 424, m.
8d.
These facts are utilized in the well-
known legend of Sir William and his
wife ; see Bridgeman, Wigan Ch. 695-9 5
also Harland and Wilkinson, Lanes.
Legends, 45 ; Topog. and Gen. ii, 3659.
That there is some basis for the legend
may be gathered from entries in the
Close R., Mabel being called wife of Peter
de Limesey in 1318 (unless there is an
error in the record) and ' Mabel de
Haigh' simply in the following year ;
Cat. Close, 1313-18, p. 554; 1318-23,
p. 8.
16 De Banco R. 273, m. 121 d. ; Sir
William de Bradshagh charged Adam de
Hindley and others with having forcibly
carried off his goods at Haigh and Black-
rod.
*' Coram Rege R. 297, Rex, m. 23 d.
18 Final Cone, ii, 101, 107. The
former of these was a grant of the manor
of Haigh to William de Bradshagh for his
life. The latter was a settlement of the
succession after Mabel's death ; to Wil-
liam son of John de Bradshagh, with
remainders to the sons of Richard de
Bradshagh his brother, and a further
remainder to Henry son of Robert le
Norreys. Alan son of Henry de Elton-
head, another Norreys, put in his claim.
Also Kuerden, loc. cit. nos. ii, 13.
As Mabel de Haigh she made a grant
of two plough-lands (probably the manor)
in Worthington in 1318 ; Final Cone, ii,
28.
19 See the account of Wigan Church ;
Kuerden, loc. cit. no. 16-21.
20 Surv. of 1346 (Chet. Soc. 36).
In the same year Dame Mabel accused
William son of John de Bradshagh of
breaking down her close and doing other
damage ; De Banco R. 348, m. 338.
21 The sheriff accounted for lod.
from Mabel de Bradshagh for the manor
of Haigh for ward of Lancaster Castle ;
Duchy of Lane. Var. Accts. 32117, fol.
7 b.
22 De Banco R. 419, m. i8od. 5 425,
m. 363 d. ; 429, m. 68. The descent
is clearly stated ; Sir William de Brad-
shagh died without issue, and the claim-
ant, as son of Richard son of John de
Bradshagh, brother of Sir William, was
the heir entitled to the manor. For the
Trafford feoffment see Kuerden, loc. cit.
nos. 35-8.
28 Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Chet. Soc.), i, 9 ;
Dep. Keeper's Rep. xxxii, App. 354.
In the aid collected in 1355 Wil-
liam de Bradshagh contributed for the
twelfth part of a knight's fee formerly
held by Hugh le Norreys ; Feud. Aids,
iii, 91.
In 1397-8 Isabel, widow and executrix
of William de Bradshagh, was called upon
to account for the issues of a house at
Haigh ; L.T.R. Mem. R. 163, m. xiii,
167, m. x.
24 Add. MS. 32108, nos. 1491, 1495,
1507.
25 He was juror from 1397 to 1425 ;
Lanes. Inq. (Chet. Soc.), i, 65 &c. In
1399 his feoffees regranted the manor to
him with remainder to James his son and
heir ; Kuerden, loc. cit. no. 39.
William de Bradshagh seems to have
been in possession of Haigh at the time of
Thomas's outlawry ; Duchy of Lane.
Knts. Fees, 1/20, fol. 8i. Edward was
there in 1429 ; Lanes. Inq, (Chet. Soc.),
i', 35-
26 Croston's Baines, iv, 292 ; his
mother was Margaret, daughter of
Robert de Highfield. It was an earlier
Robert de Highfield who granted lands in
Rudgatehurst to William de Bradshagh
and Mabel his wife ; Kuerden, loc. cit.
no. 10, 12.
97 Lettice, widow of John Tailor,
summoned a large number of people in
116
the neighbourhood to answer for the
death of her husband on 2 Feb. 1440-1.
They included James Bradshagh of Haigh,
Alice his wife, William son of James,
Christopher on of Thomas Bradshagh,
the wife of Gilbert (another son of
Thomas), Ivo and Richard, sons of
Thomas son of Ivo Bradshagh of Haigh
or Pennington, Richard Houghton of
Aspull, Ralph and John, sons of
John Gidlow of Aspull, Alexander and
Gilbert Nowell of Read, etc. ; Pal. of
Lane. Plea R. 3, m. 15. James Brad-
shagh seems to have taken part in the
assault, but was allowed to go sine die ;
ibid. m. 37. Two years later the trials
concluded ; Christopher Bradshagh was
outlawed for the felony, James had died,
and the rest were all acquitted ; ibid. R.
5, m. i8 ; 21, 5^.
28 Tovrneley MS. DD, no. 1484. In
1436-7 a dispensation was granted for
the marriage of William Bradshagh and
Agnes daughter of John Gerard of
Ince ; Baines, op. cit. (ed. Croston), iv,
292.
29 Pal. of Lane. Plea R. 5, m. 24,
ordered to keep the peace towards Tho-
mas Cayley ; R. 8, m. 3, and R. 9, m.
loA charged Christopher Bradshagh and
others with waylaying him with intent to
kill, but did not prosecute ; m. 12, 19^,
37, accused of trespass and fined for
defaults ; R. 10, m. 36^, warrant for his
arrest. A pardon was granted in 1457-8 ;
Baines, loc. cit.
80 By fine in August 1477 the manor
of Haigh with its appurtenances, as also
a water-mill and land in Wigan, were
settled on James son and heir of William
Bradshagh of Haigh, whose widow Agnes
was living, with remainders to Roger,
Ralph, and William, sons of James
Bradshagh and Joan his wife, daughter of
Alexander Standish, and heirs male ; Pal.
of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 9, m. 3. The
covenant of marriage between James and
Joan is dated 1463 ; Baines, loc. cit.
81 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. iii, no.
106 ; James's wife was named Joan, and
Roger's Anne.
WEST DERBY HUNDRED
sixty years of age. 31 Ralph died early in 1554, his
heir being his brother William's son Roger, aged
about thirty-six. 33
Roger Bradshaw of Haigh
died 20 February 1598-9."
To the religious system estab-
lished by Elizabeth he showed
'some degree of conformity,'
but was of 'general note of
evil affection in religion, and
a non-communicant.' 35 In
temporal matters the time was
one of prosperity for the fa-
mily, the cannel-coal of Haigh
being famous already, and
bringing wealth to the lord of the manor. 86
His son James having died before him he was
BRADSHAW OF HAIGH.
Argent two bendleti be-
tween three martlets sable.
WIGAN
succeeded by his grandson Roger, twenty-one years
of age in I599- 37 He also, after some wavering,
adhered to the ancient religion, 38 but died in May
1641, before the outbreak of the Civil War. 39 His
grandson and heir Roger, being then only thirteen
years of age, took no part in the war, and the estates
escaped the sequestration and forfeiture which would
no doubt have overtaken them under the Common-
wealth. 40 The minority, however, involved the
placing of the heir under a Protestant guardian ;
he changed his religion and conformed to that
established by law. 41 In 1679 he was made a
baronet"; he was knight of the shire in i66o, 43
showing himself an opponent of the Presbyterians 44
and also of the adherents of Monmouth. 45 He died
in 1684, and his son Roger three years later, 46 when
the third Sir Roger Bradshaw, his son, succeeded. 4 '
82 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. vii, no.
16 ; the fine of 1477 and other settle-
ments are recited. Roger Bradshagh was
'not at home' when the herald came
in 1533, so that only his arms were
recorded ; Visit. (Chet. Soc.), 174. His
will is in P.C.C.
Sir Roger's widow Anne married
Nicholas Butler of Rawcliffe and various
disputes followed ; Ducatus Lane. (Rec.
Com.), ii, 70. She died at Hoole
22 Aug. 1554; Duchy Plead. (Rec.
Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), iii, 182.
Henry Bradshagh of Halton, Bucking-
hamshire, attorney-general of the king,
seems to have been concerned in the
manor ; Close, 37 Hen. VIII, pt. ii, no.
46 ; pt. iv, no. 37.
33 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. x, no. 41.
William Bradshaw is named in various
suits of the time ; Ducatus (Rec. Com.),
ii, 32.
84 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xvii, no.
59 ; the tenure was unchanged. A
pedigree was recorded in 1567 ; Visit.
(Chet. Soc.), 88.
85 Gibson, Lydiate Hall, 245, quoting
S.P. Dom. Eliz. ccxxxv, 4. His son
Thomas was a serjeant-at-arms to the
queen ; Ducatus (Rec. Com.), iii, 295.
86 Leland, writing about 1536, noted
that ' Mr. Bradshaw hath a place called
Haigh a mile from Wigan. He hath
found much cannel like sea coal in his
ground, very profitable to him ' 5 Itin. vii,
47. These mines led to various law
suits ; see Ducatus (Rec. Com.), ii, 179, &c.
In 1554 Roger Bradshaw said that
he was owner of the demesne lands of
the manor of Haigh, within which there
had always been certain mines or pits of
a kind of fuel called cannel, wherein the
tenants within the lordship had been
accustomed to dig and get cannel to be
'spent and brent' in their tenements,
for which they had paid by boons, presents,
and averages ; Duchy Plead, iii, 182.
8 ? James son and heir of Roger Brad-
shaw married, in or before 1567, Jane
the daughter and heir of Thomas Hoghton
of Hoghton ; Dods. MSS. cxlii, fol. 44.
88 Richard son of Roger Bradshaw of
Haigh was baptized at Wigan, 28
Dec. 1601 ; Reg. 51. In 1623, on en-
tering the English College at Rome
under the name of Barton, he gave the
following particulars : ' My true name is
Richard Bradshaw. I am in my twenty-
second year, was born in Lancashire, and
for the most part brought up there. My
parents are Roger Bradshaw of Haigh . . .
and Anne his wife. The former, who had
been brought up in the Catholic religion,
left it in his youth ; at length, however,
by the goodness of God, about six months
ago, he again embraced the true faith and
I hope will persevere in it until death.
My mother, brought up a Catholic by her
parents [Anderton of Lostock], has never
professed any other religion. I have
seven brothers and six sisters, all of whom
are Catholics. I received some local
schooling until my fifteenth year, when I
gave myself up to hunting and suchlike
youthful sports ; but by good fortune
being sent to St. Omers College, I
applied myself to humanity studies. I
was always a Catholic.' He afterwards
joined the Society of Jesus, and from
1655 to 1660 was head of the English
Province ; Foley, Rec. Soc. Jesus, i,
229-32, where extracts from his letters
are given ; vii, 78 ; Gillow, Bibl. Diet,
of Engl. Cath. i, 287 ; Diet. Nat. Biog.
Thomas Bradshaw, a younger brother,
entered the English College from St.
Omers in 1626, and made a similar
declaration : ' My chief relations are
uncles and aunts, all Catholics, except
one uncle, Alexander Bradshaw, who is
a Protestant'; Foley, i, 228. He also
became a Jesuit and laboured in England
from 1650 to 1663 ; vii, 79. A third
brother Peter, also a Jesuit, served the
English missions from 1650 to 1675, and
was twice rector of the Lancashire
district ; ibid, vii, 77. Another brother,
Edward, a Carmelite, after a term of
imprisonment was banished, but returned
to England and ministered at Haigh Hall ;
he was a student of English antiquities ;
Gillow, op. cit. i, 286. Another brother,
Christopher, was a secular priest. Three
of the sisters were nuns. A brother
William was knighted by Charles I ; his
will is printed in Lanes. Wills (Chet. Soc.
new ser.), ii, 66.
89 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xxix, no.
66. His eldest son James was buried
at Wigan 7 June 1631 ; Royalist Comp.
Papers (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i,
229, 230.
A pedigree wat recorded in 1613 ;
Visit. (Chet. Soc.), 57. Roger refused
knighthood, paying in 1632 a composition
of 20 marks ; Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Ches.), i, 222.
40 Royalist Comp. Papers, \, 228-33 ; it is
obvious that strict inquiries were made
by the Commonwealth authorities. There
are numerous references to the family in
the Cal. of Com. for Compounding.
41 The guardianship system was a
common and successful means of induc-
ing such conformity.
Dr. Wrocj warden of Manchester, who
117
preached the funeral sermon, said :
' His religion was true Protestant ; not
that of late falsely so called, but that
which is by law established, the religion
of the Church of England ; in which he
was happily educated and instructed in
his greener years by the care and directions
of the Right Honourable James, Earl of
Derby, to whom he was entrusted by his
faithful guardian, John Fleetwood of
Penwortham, esq. ; to whose religious
designs and the joint endeavours of his
virtuous consort he owed the early
impressions of piety, and in that family
first commenced Protestant, and was
thence sent into the Isle of Man, where
the principles he had already imbibed
were soon cultivated and improved under
the umbrage of that religious, loyal and
great man ; ' quoted in Pal. Note Bk. ii, 34.
One of his sisters was a nun and the other
married Thomas Culcheth of Culcheth.
42 Burke, Extinct Baronetcies. A pedi-
gree was recorded in 1664; Dugdale,
Visit. (Chet. Soc.), 52.
48 Pink and Beaven, Parl. Rep. of Lanes.
77, 78. He was made a knight in the
same year ; Le Neve, Knights (Harl. Soc.),
77. He was re-elected in 1661, this
Parliament lasting till 1678. There is a
monument to him in Wigan Church ;
Bridgeman, op. cit. 701, 702.
In a fine of 1673 the estate is described
as the manor of Haigh, sixty-four
messuages, two water-mills, a saw-mill,
500 acres of land &c., with views of
frankpledge in Haigh and Wigan. The
deforciants were Sir Roger Bradshaw,
kt., Elizabeth his wife, and Roger Brad-
shaw, esq. ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle.
191, m. 71.
* Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. xiv, App. iv, 84.
There are a number of Bradshaw letters
in this volume. 46 Ibid. 161.
46 The son represented the borough of
Wigan in 1678, and the county in 1685 ;
Pink and Beaven, op. cit. 228, 79. Like his
father he was a Tory. He was knighted
in 1679 5 ke Neve, Knights, 330.
4 7 He was a member for Wigan in
fourteen successive Parliaments from 1695
till his death, 25 Feb. 1746-7 ; Pink and
Beaven, op. cit. 230-3. According to
this he was Tory down to the accession
of George I, when he became a Whig.
He restored the family chapel in Wigan
Church in 1719 ; Bridgeman, op. cit. 620.
A view of Haigh Hall as it existed in his
time is given in Baines" Lanes. For
recoveries of the manor in Aug. 1697,
see Pal. of Lane. Plea R. 466 ; in 1727,
R. 524, m. 7d. 5 in 1730, R. 533, m.
2d.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
LINDSAY, Earl of Craw-
ford and Balcarres. Quar-
terly, i and 4 : Gules a
Jesse cheeky argent and
azure for LINDSAY ; 2 and
3 : Or a lion rampant
gules debruised by a ribbon
sable, for ABERNETHY.
His son Sir Roger, the last baronet, died in 1787
without issue, 48 the heir to the manor and estates
being his sister Elizabeth. 49
She married John son of Sir
Humphrey Edwin, 50 and her
daughter and heir, Elizabeth,
married Charles Dalrymple of
North Berwick, whose daugh-
ter and heir, Elizabeth Brad-
shaigh, 51 married Alexander
Lindsay, sixth Earl of Bal-
carres. He thus became lord
of the manor of Haigh, 5 * which
has descended regularly M with
the title to James Ludovic
Lindsay, Earl of Crawford and
Balcarres, who succeeded in
i88o. M His son, Lord Bal-
carres, is the member of Par-
liament for the Chorley divi-
sion of the county. At the Hall is a valuable library,
including a Mazarin Bible among the printed books. 66
Apart from the Bradshaw family there do not seem
to have been any important landowners 56 in the town-
ship, though in 1600 Ralph Charnock was also re-
turned as a freeholder."
A poor man named John Rycroft was in trouble
with the Commonwealth authorities during the Civil
War ; he explained that he had assembled with the
king's men on Westhoughton Common but had not
joined them later. 68
In connexion with the Established Church St.
David's, Haigh, was consecrated in 1833 as a chapel
of ease to Wigan ; a district was assigned five years
later. The rector of Wigan is patron. 69 At New
Springs, St. John Baptist's, an iron church, was licensed
in 1871 ; and rebuilt in brick in 1897.
A school was founded here about 1660 by the
township. 60
ASPULL
Aspul, 1 21 2 ; 1292 ; Hasphull, 1277 ; Haspehull,
1292; Aspehill, 1292 ; Aspell, 1301; Asphull, 1304,
common ; Aspull, 1356, common. Aspden and Asp-
shaw occur in the district.
This township, though in the parish of Wigan, is
in the hundred of Salford. It is separated from West-
houghton by a brook running through Borden or Bors-
dane Wood, but has no marked physical separation
from the other neighbouring townships, which, like
itself, are in Wigan parish. The ground rises from
south to north, reaching 400 ft. The area is 1,905
acres. 1 The population in 1901 was 8,388.*
The principal road leads north from Hindley to
Haigh, passing through Pennington Green, which
lies z\ miles east-north-east of Wigan Church. To
the south-west of this lies Hindley Hall, and a
road branches off to the north-west, going through
New Springs to Wigan. The Lancaster Canal passes
through the western corner of the township.
Aspull Moor lies in the northern half of the town-
ship.
Cannel coal was found in Aspull. There are several
large collieries, also malt kilns and a cotton mill. Wheat,
oats, and potatoes are grown.
A local board was formed in 1876. This has been
succeeded by an urban district council of nine members.
The earliest notice of ASPULL is that
M4NOR contained in the survey of 1 2 1 2, when, as
one plough-land , it formed part of the Child-
wall fee held by Richard son of Robert de Lathom,
under the lord of Manchester. 3 Immediately after
this lands in Aspull are found among the possessions
of William de Notton, being described as the right of
Cecily his wife, daughter of Edith, lady of Barton-on-
Irwell. 4 The Lathom mesne manor was commonly
ignored 5 ; thus, in 1302 Richard de Ince, as son and
heir of Henry de Sefton, and Adam de Hindley, were
48 Little seems to be known of the
last Sir Roger, or of the male descendants
of the previous baronets.
49 These and the subsequent particulars
are from the pedigree in Baines, Lanes.
(ed. Croston), iv, 294-296.
80 See the note in G.E.C., Complete
Peerage, ii, 419 ; Herald and Gen. vi, 62 ;
viii, 1 86, 187.
"She died 10 Aug. 1816. There is
a monument to her in Wigan Church ;
Bridgeman, op. cit. 703. There was a re-
covery of the manor in 1804; Aug.
Assize, 44 Geo. Ill, R. 5.
53 The Earl of Balcarres resided at Haigh,
which has since remained the principal
seat of the family. He became de jure
23rd Earl of Crawford in 1808, but did not
assume the title. He died in 1825, and
was buried at Wigan ; see Diet. Nat. Biog.
53 See G.E.C. loc. cit. James, son of
the sixth earl by Elizabeth Dalrymple, was
member for Wigan 1820 to 1825, and was
created Baron Wigan of Haigh Hall in
1826. In 1848 the House of Lords de-
cided that he had justified his claim to the
earldom of Crawford. He died 15 Dec.
1869. For his younger son Colin, see
Diet. Nat. Biog.
The eldest son and heir, Alexander Wil-
liam Crawford Lindsay, Earl of Crawford
and Balcarres, author of Hist, of Christian
Art, &c., died 13 Dec. 1880; see Diet.
Nat. Biog. He was succeeded by his son,
the present lord of Haigh.
54 He was member for Wigan 1874 to
1880, is a fellow of the Royal Society, and
was formerly president of the Royal Astro-
nomical Society.
68 Lanes, and Ches.Antiq. Sac. i, 59 ; iii,
236.
06 Robert ion of Richard de Windle
granted to his brother Adam Haleshurst
and Middlehurst in Haigh ; Kuerden MSS.
ii, fol. 213, n. 22.
*7 Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i,
238,243.
Robert Charnock, in right of James
Bradshaw, claimed possession of a water-
mill, &c. in Haigh in 1581 ; Ducatus
(Rec. Com.), iii, 109; see also iii, 435.
Roger Bradshaw was the only landowner
contributing to the subsidy in 1628 ; Nor-
ris D. (B.M.).
Other holders of land in the i6th century
were Thomas Holt, Christopher Anderton,
and Gilbert Sherington, probably as pur-
chasers of land of suppressed monasteries
and chantries.
88 Cal. of Com. for Compounding, ii, 1093.
89 Bridgeman, Wigan Ch. 783 ; Land.
Can. 3 Apr. 1838.
'"Gastrell, Notitia, ii, 251.
1 1,906, including 23 of inland water,
according to the Census of 1901.
2 Including New Springs and Tor-
lock.
8 Lanes. Inq. and Extents (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), i, 54. The fee was a
composite one of 6 j plough-lands (of which
118
Aspull formed one), held chiefly by Richard
de Lathom, and partly by Roger de Samles-
bury and Alexander de Harwood.
4 The evidence of Edith's holding is
contained in grants preserved in the
Cockersand Chart. (Chet. Soc.), ii, 695-8.
Edith de Barton herself gave the canons
of Cockersand a portion of land in Aspull
in free alms ; Lonington Brook, Holelache,
Scraplache, and Cranberry Lea, are named
among the boundaries ; no. 6.
William de Notton, with the assent of
Cecily his wife, of whose dower it was,
gave half of Hulgreave in Aspull ; and
added a portion bounded by the Roskit
(brook), from the ford, thence by a lache
and oaks marked with crosses to the
Meanway, and so back to the ford ; no. 4,
I. Sir Gilbert de Barton, son of William
and Cecily, confirmed these gifts, and him-
self added the Millward's croft ; the bounds
of this went by Mickle Brook, starting at
the ford, to the boundaries of Richard de
Hindley's land, and by various dykes to
Sinerhill Leach, and so to the ford ; also
waste near Brinshope; no. 5, 2. The land
called Scrapps in Aspull was in 1501 held
by Richard Houghton at a rent of zd . ;
Cockersand Rent. (Chet. Soc.), 4.
8 From a subsequent note it will be
teen that the lordship of the Lathoms
was recognized in 1290. In 1346-55
Sir Thomas de Lathom is said to have
held the same fee, including Aspull ; Feud.
Aids, iii, 89.
WEST DERBY HUNDRED
WIGAN
found to hold Aspull, as the eighth part of a knight's fee,
directly of Thomas Grelley." From this time the lord-
ship has been held with the adjacent Ince by the fami-
lies of Ince and Gerard in succession ; until Aspull was
sold to the Earl of Crawford and Balcarres,lordofHaigh. 7
The Hindley family appear to have had a quarter of
the manor by grant of William son of Richard son of
Enot de Aspull. The succession can be traced from
Adam son of Hugh de Hindley, living in izgz, 6
until the i yth century, 9 when Roger Hindley suc-
6 Lanes. Inq. and Extents, i, 314.
Richard de Ince and Robert de Hindley
held the same in 1322 ; Mamecestre (Chet.
Soc.), 579-
Towneley (GG, no. 1 604), preserves an
agreement between Henry de Sefton and
the free tenants of Aspull, including those
of the Hospitallers, their names being
given. These granted to Henry as their
lord all the land bounded by a line starting
at Haigh on the west, going to the Quint-
acres, Terneshaw Brook, Brinshope Bridge,
and so to Quintacres ; also land in Fald-
worthing shaw. Henry on his part granted
them certain liberties.
' See the account of Ince above.
John son of Peter Gerard and Ellen
his wife made a settlement of the manor
of Aspull in 1421 ; Pal. of Lane. Feet
of F. bdle. 5, m. 12.
Thomas Gerard, in 1473, held the lord-
ship of Aspull of the lord of Manchester
by a rent of So 1 , and the same sum for
ward of the castle of Lancaster ; Mame-
cestre, 48 1 .
Miles Gerard, in 1558, held the manor,
&c., of Lord La Warre in socage by a rent
of i%d. ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xi,
no. 12.
Aspull descended with Ince until the
early years of the 1 8th century, when
Richard son of Thomas Gerard of Higli-
field appears to have sold it to the Gerards
of Brynn. The manor of Aspull was Sir
William Gerard's in 1796, as appears from
R. 12 of the Lent Assizes, 1796 (Pal. of
Lane. Plea R.). It was sold tothe Ear!
of Crawford and Balcarres before 1825 ;
Baines, Lanes, (ed. 1836), iii, 553.
8 A plea of 1292 gives an account of
the acquisition. Adam de Hindley alleged
that Robert de Lathom, Richard de Ince,
Gilbert de Southworth, Emma hi wife,
and others had disseised him of a messuage
and 1 2 acres of moor and pasture in Aspull.
Gilbert, however, claimed nothing but
common of pasture. Robert de Lathom
claimed lordship only. Richard de Ince,
as tenant, asserted that Adam had no
right beyond common of pasture, but had
inclosed the disputed land by night, his
fence being promptly thrown down the
next day.
The jury, however, found that Adam's
title was derived from William son of
Richard son of Enot de Aspull, who had
delivered seisin of all his lands to Adam
de Hindley ; that Henry de Sefton and
Richard son of Enot had been lords of the
waste in common, and had divided an
approvement, Henry taking three parts and
Richard the other part, amounting to
7 acres ; that after they had lain unculti-
vated Adam inclosed them, at the same
time adding 5 acres more without the
assent of Richard de Ince, and he and his
man dwelt there some time ; that Richard
ejected him vi et armis ; and that the
7 acres should be restored to Adam, and
the 5 remain waste at formerly ; Assize
R. 408, m. 6.
The Hindleys had several branches, one
by marriage acquiring Culcheth. The
Hindleys of Aspull continued to hold land
in Hindley also. Hugh de Hindley, father
of Adam, is mentioned in 1258-9 ; Ori-
ginalia, 43 Hen. Ill, m. 3. Hugh de
Hindley was living in 1292 ; Assize R.
408, m. 12 ; and Beatrice widow of Hugh
de Hindley perhaps another Hugh
claimed dower in 1307 ; De Banco R.
16 1, m. 132 ; Lanes, and CAes. Hist, and
Gen. Notes, i, 27.
Adam son of Hugh de Hindley, and
Robert his son, were defendants in a plea
concerning a markate of rent in Hindley
and Ince in 1291 and 1292 ; Assize R.
407, m. 3d.; 408, m. 7 d. This uit
arose through a certain Adam de Wood-
house, who gave land as dower for his
wife Alice ; she took a second husband
John Nightegale, and gave the land to
Henry son of her previous husband, for
the tent of 131. 4^. Adam de Hindley
seems to have secured the land, and re-
fused to pay the rent; the jury allowed
half a mark to the claimants.
Then Cecily, widow of Henry son of
Adam de Woodhouse, claimed dower from
lands in Hindley and Ince from Adam
son of Hugh de Hindley, and Maud his
wife ; they asserted that Henry was not
dead, but living at Paris ; Assize R. 408,
m. 55. Adam de Hindley occurs as plain-
tiff or defendant in many suits ; e.g. Assize
R. 419, m. 12 ; 421, m. id.; 1411, m.
I2d. There was another Adam son of
Richard de Hindley; Assize R. 1294,
m. 9 d.
A pedigree was recorded at the Visita-
tion of 1613 (printed by Chet. Soc. pp.
117, 1 1 8), in which abstracts of some
family deeds are given. From these and
other sources it is possible to give an out-
line of the family history. The somewhat
earlier pedigree printed in the Chet. Soc.
Visit, of 1567 is from Harl. MS. 6159.
Robert son of Adam de Hindley occurs
in 1291, as already stated, and was in
possession in 1322 ; Mamecestre, 379.
He and his brothers Adam, Thomas, and
John, seem to have taken a share in the
rebellion of Thomas of Lancaster ; Coram
Rege R. 254, m. 60. Robert married
Cecily daughter of Henry de Tyldesley ;
Visit. 117. She was a widow in 1329, when
Henry de Atherton and Beatrice his wife
claimed from her and Robert son of Robert
de Hindley the fourth part of the manor of
Aspull, and various lands in Aspull, Ince,
and Hindley ; but it was shown that Bea-
trice had granted them while sole ; Assize
R. 1411, m. 12 d. From an earlier suit
it appear* that Beatrice was a daughter
of Adam de Hindley's ; Assize R. 420,
m. 2 d.
Among the Culcheth deeds is a grant
from Adam son of Hugh de Hindley to
his daughter Beatrice, for her life, of his
lands in Aspull, ' Kastrelegh ' in Hindley,
&c. ; she was to pay a rent to her brother
John ; Lanes, and Ches. Hist, and Gen.
Notes, i, 27. A release of lands was made
in 1332 by Henry de Atherton to Robert
son of Robert de Hindley; Visit. 117.
Cecily the widow of Robert afterwards
married Robert de Warrington ; Duchy
of Lane. Assize R. i, m. 5 d.
The younger Robert occurs in 1343
and 1358 ; Assize R. 430, m. 26 ; 438,
m. 8. He was still living in 1365, as
appears by a suit concerning lands in Win-
die, in which he was a plaintiff; the pedi-
gree is there given as Robert son of Robert
119
(and Cecily) son of Adam son of Hugh ;
and it is further stated that Robert the
father was seised of the lands in dispute
in the time of Edward I ; De Banco R.
421, m. 108.
' Robert, who married Emma, a daughter
and co-heir of Pemberton, had a son Hugh,
as appears by a release made by Hugh son
of Robert in 1398-9' ; Visit. 117.
Robert son of Hugh de Hindley was
a plaintiff in 1447 ; and at the same time
Robert and Adam de Hindley of Aspull
were defendants in another suit ; Pal. of
Lane. Plea R. 10, m. 2, 2b. Robert
Hindley in 1473 held a messuage and
lands in Aspull of the lord of Manchester
by the service of the eighth part of a
knight's fee and a rent of i\d. ; paying a
further 2 \d. for ward of the castle ; Mame-
cestre, 480. This Robert Hindley and
his son ' old Hugh Hindley ' are both men-
tioned by aged witnesses in a dispute con-
cerning the wastes of Hindley in 1528 ;
Duchy Plead. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.),
i, 165. He made a lease to his son Hugh
in 1472 ; Visit. 117.
Hugh Hindley had a son Robert who
married Alice daughter of William Parr,
as appears by an entail dated 1489-90 ;
ibid. Alice wife of Robert Hindley the
younger and her husband, as well as Hugh
Hindley, had numerous disputes with the
Parr family from 1466 onwards ; Pal. of
Lane. Plea R. 30, m. 10; 44, m. 6 d. ;
&c.
There were three sons, Hugh, Gilbert,
and Roger. Hugh Hindley's name is
entered in a list of the gentry compiled
about 1512 ; he died 30 Apr. 1531 hold-
ing lands in Aspull called Greenhalf,
Pilats croft, Kiln croft, and Rosket, of
Thomas Gerard of Ince by the rent of
5*. 4</. ; also Mickle croft of the heirs of
John Aspull, by a rent of I2d. ; and six
messuages, 100 acres of land, &c. and a
water-mill, of Lord La Warre, by knight's
service and the rent of 2^./. a year. He
held other lands in Ince, Hindley, Pem-
berton, and Parr. His son and heir was
Robert, aged only about five years ; but
six other sons had annuities assigned to
them ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. vi, no.
22. His wardship was assumed by Lord
La Warre, who granted it to George
Leigh, of Manchester, by whom it was
sold to Peter Anderton, and by the last-
named to Grace the widow of Hugh de
Hindley ; Kuerden MSS. ii, fol. 237.
From a suit in 1549 it appears that
Hugh Hindley had been married, about
1510 at Wigan, to Ellen Langton, both par-
ties being ' within the age of consent ; ' and
that they were in 1522 divorced by a decree
of Richard Smith, rector of Bury, acting as
commissary of Adam Becconsaw, rector of
Brington and official of William Knight,
archdeacon of Chester ; and then Hugh
married Grace Turner, Robert, declared
heir in 153 i, being their son. This decree
was afterwards reversed in the Court of
Arches, it appearing that Hugh and Ellen
had lived together for eight years before
the divorce was granted, and Gilbert,
brother of Hugh, claimed the inheritance ;
on Gilbert's death without issue Roger,
another brother, claimed it, and the court
gave sentence in his favour, the dispossessed
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
ceeded. 10 HINDLET HALL, as the residence of the
Hindleys was called, became the property of James, a
younger son of Robert Dukin-
field of Cheshire. 11 In the
1 8th century it was acquired
by the Leighs of Whitley Hall,
Wigan, and Sir Robert Holt
Leigh lived here till his death
in 1843." His estates then
passed for life to his cousin
Thomas Pemberton, who took
the name of Leigh, and made
Hindley Hall his residence ; HINDLEY. Azure a,
he was raised to the peerage hart lodged argent.
as Baron Kingsdown in 1 858."
After his death in 1867 it passed by the will of
Sir R. H. Leigh to Mr. Roger Leigh, the present
owner. 14
The Knights Hospitallers held lands here from an
early period. 15
One of the ancient families here was that of Occleshaw.
In 1246 Richard son of William recovered 8 acres in
Aspull from Gilbert de Barton, Henry de Occleshaw,
and Hugh his brother. 16 Thirty years later the prior
of St. John of Jerusalem was claimant against John
de Occleshaw and another ; 17 and John de Occleshaw
and Henry his brother occur in izgi. 18 Afterwards
Occleshaw was acquired by the Ince family. 19
Yet another early family was that of Gidlow, whose
residence was long known as GIDLOW HALL. In
1291 Robert de Gidlow was a freeholder in Aspull, 20 and
the name occurs frequently down to the i yth century, 81
son Robert, then about twenty-four years
of age, appearing and renouncing his title ;
Duchy Plead, iii, 69.
Roger's son Robert, one of the ' gentle-
men of the better sort ' who were ' soundly
affected in religion' in 1590 (Gibson,
Lydiate Hall, 246), was living at the
Visitation of 1613 (p. 1 1 8), and his will
was proved in 1620. Roger Hindley was
assessed to the subsidy in 1622, and refusing
I knighthood compounded in 1631 ; Misc.
j Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 162, 216.
10 It appears from the Wigan Registers
that he had several children ; his wife
Alice died in Jan. 1624-5 > Roger Hind-
ley himself was buried at Wigan, 1 5 Nov.
1651. Robert son of Roger Hindley was
baptized at Winwick in 1607.
Margaret, a 'daughter and co-heir of
Roger Hindley of Hindley,' is said by Dug-
dale, Visit. (54), to have married Roger
Bradshaw of Aspull ; it appears from the
registers that the marriage took place in
1596, a daughter Elizabeth was born
in 1597, and in the following year the
wife died.
11 Ibid. p. too ; Ormerod, Ches. (ed.
Helsby), iii, 817. Old Mrs. Dukinfield
and her son James are mentioned in Roger .
Lowe's Diary, 1663 ; Loc. Glean. Lanes,
and Ches. i, 170, 171, 189. The mother
left money to the chapel and school of
Hindley.
12 Alexander Leigh, the grandfather,
procured the Act of 1720 for making the
Douglas navigable from Wigan to Preston ;
for an anecdote of him see Hist. MSS. Com.
Rep. xiv, App. iv, 458. Holt Leigh, the
father, of Hindley Hall, Aspull, and Whit-
ley Hall, Wigan, married Mary daughter
and co-heir of Thomas Owen, of Uphol-
land ; acquiring the manors of Orrell and
Bi Hinge. Robert Holt Leigh was born
at Wigan in 1762. He was educated at
Manchester School, and Christ Church,
Oxford, but though he passed the examina-
tions he did not graduate till 1837. He
was made a baronet in 1815, at the in-
stance of Canning, and represented Wigan
in Parliament from 1802 to 1820 ; he is
described as ' a high Tory and firm Church-
man, but strenuous Protestant.' He had
a high reputation as a scholar, linguist,
and man of culture, but ' over the latter
years of his life it is better that a veil
should be drawn. It is very sad to record
folly and profligacy in the mature years of
a life in which, otherwise, there is much
to admire ; ' Manchester School Reg. (Chet.
Soc.). He died at Hindley Hall, 21 Jan.
1843.
His brother, Roger Holt Leigh, of Leeds,
died 13 May 1831 from injuries received
during election disturbances.
18 Diet. Nat. Biog. } G.E.C. Complete
Peerage, iv, 401.
14 Burke, Landed Gentry.
15 Plac. de Quo War. (Rec. Com.), 375.
The rental compiled about 1540 shows
that there were four tenements yielding a
total rent of 41., viz. one messuage held
by Thomas Gorsuch, 6d. ; Occleshaw,
by Alexander Catterall, i%d. ; Whittington
House, by John Byrom, izd. ; and a
messuage by William Houghton, \zd. ;
Kuerden MSS. v, fol. 84.
16 Assize R. 404, m. 1 1 d.
V De Banco R. 18, m. 6 ; 21, m. 26.
18 Assize R. 1294, m. 9 d.
19 By her charter, Cecily daughter of
John de Occleshaw granted to her first-
born son John all that she had received
from her father in Aspull ; Henry de
Occleshaw was a witness ; Add. MS.
32104, fol. 117 (509). She is perhaps
the same Cecily who, as wife of John de
Worthington, in 1323-4 claimed a mes-
suage and lands from Richard de Occleshaw
and William son of Henry de Occleshaw ;
Assize R. 425, m. 3 ; and, as wife of John
de Warrington, quitclaimed to Hugh de
Ince the land called 'Oculshagh' in Aspull,
of which John son of William de Occle-
shaw was once seised. Her grandson and
heir, Thomas son of Henry son of Robert
de Ulneswalton, in 1359 claimed it from
Hugh de Ince ; Duchy of Lane. Assize
R. 7, m. 2 d.
Another Cecily, wife of Robert de War-
rington, claimed dower here in 1351 ;
ibid. R. I, m. v d ; 2, m. 2.
30 Assize R. 1 294, m. 9 d. ; Henry son of
Gunna and Roger de Swinley were other
defendants. The Gidlows were probably
so named from Gidlow in Wigan ; the
name is spelt Gydelowe, Gudelowe, Good-
law, &c. Robert de Gidlow was plaintiff
in 1304 ; Astize R. 420, m. 2 d.
21 Some family deeds have been preserved
by Towneley (Add. MS. 32107, GG, no.
1586-1619), and these and others more
briefly by Kuerden (ii, fol. 244^), but they
are not sufficient for a complete history.
Henry, lord of Ince, gave lands in Ince
to William de Gidlow, with reasonable
entry from his land in Aspull, by follow-
ing the Mill Brook and that part on which
the Harleton lies to Ince boundary, ren-
dering two white gloves ; GG, no. 1588.
Robert de Gidlow gave the mill of Brins-
hope ao 8.ichard de Ince ; Kuerden, loc.
cit. vio. 27. Henry de Sefton (father of
Richard de Ince) gave land in Ince to
Robert son of William de Gidlow in
exchange for some the latter had from
Roger son of Godith ; also the greater
hey in Aspull, the bounds mentioning
Longshaw, Ballisdene, and the highway
I2O
to Westhoughton ; GG, nos. 1595,1603.
This latter was in 1294 transferred by
Robert to his son William, except por-
tions he had given to his daughter Ellen
and another son Robert ; 131. a year was
payable to Richard de Ince ; no. 1593.
William son of Robert de Gidlow in
1326 gave the Blackfield to his son
Richard ; nos. 1598-9.
Robert son of Roger de Gidlow at
Easter 1354 claimed a messuage and
lands in Aspull from John son of Richard
de Gidlow, Gilbert de Ince, and William
de Ince of Aughton ; but Gilbert de Ince
showed that the father had held of him
by knight's service, so that he had law-
fully entered into possession, as guardian,
on Roger's death ; Duchy of Lane. Assize
R. 3, m. 3 d.
Another John Gidlow, of the time of
Henry VI, is the next of whom informa-
tion is forthcoming; GG, no. 1586. Ralph
son of John Gidlow was in 1444 con-
tracted to marry Joan daughter of John
and Elizabeth Parbold ; no. 1591. In
1445 Thomas Pleasington accused John
Gidlow and others of an assault upon him
at Heapey, and Amice Gidlow accused
Randle Charnock and others of waylaying
her with intent to kill ; Pal. of Lane.
Plea R. 8, m. i, \b ; 9, m. 6, 2. In the
same year Ralph Gidlow was to be arrested
for felony ; ibid. R. 7, m. i6b. In 1471-2
the feoffees regranted to John Gidlow,
senior, all his messuages and lands in
Aspull, with remainders to John son of
Ralph son of the elder John ; then to
John, William, and Robert, brothers of
Ralph ; GG, no. 1600.
Ralph Gidlow of Aspull referred his
disputes with Roger Brown to arbitration
in 1514; no. 1529. He was murdered
with a dagger 22 Sept. 1531 by one
Christopher Shakerley. Thomas Gerard
of Ince was called out of his bed by the
constables of Aspull to view the body and
search for the felon ; and on returning
home with a crowd of neighbours, Cecily
and Agnes, daughters of Ralph, desired him
to take charge of two boxes belonging to
their father. The complaint of Anne the
widow followed ; Duchy Plead, ii, 25-27.
At the inquisition after Ralph's death it
was found that he had held lands in Lang-
tree, Coppull, and Aspull ; the jury did
not know what knight's service belonged
to the last. Robert Gidlow his son and
heir was sixteen years of age ; Duchy
of Lane. Inq. p.m. vi, no. 12.
In 1535 another inquisition was made
at the petition of Robert the heir. It
appeared that Ralph Gidlow had in 1520
made a feoffment of the Dower house and
others of his tenements in Aspull and Ince,
WEST DERBY HUNDRED
WIGAN
when a short pedigree was re-
corded." In 1 5 84 and 1586
rights of way were investigated,
Thomas Gidlow claiming a
footpath from Gidlow Hall
westward across Roger Hind-
ley's meadows called Longer
Hey to the highway between
&c., for the use of Anne Shakerley,
widow, for her life. Robert asserted
that he was of full age, and not six-
teen only, when the former inquisi-
tion was taken ; also that the pre-
mises in Aspull were held of Thomas
Gerard of Ince and not of Lord La
Warre. The messuage in Langtree had
been the property of one John Perle-
barn, whose heirs were Ralph Gidlow,
Roger Haydock, and James Aspenall, de-
scendants of his daughters Joan, Katherine,
and Margaret. Joan had married a Gid-
low (obviously the John Gidlow, senior,
of a previous paragraph), and her son was
Ralph father of John father of the Ralph
Gidlow of 1531 ; Duchy of Lane. Inq.
p.m. iii, no. 6.
On Robert's coming of age Lord La
Warre remitted all actions, &c. ; GG,
no. 1610; and soon afterwards, in 1541,
Robert made a settlement of his lands, the
remainder being to Thomas his son and
heir ; Kuerden MSS. loc. cit. no. 20. In
15523 further settlement seems to have
been made by Robert Gidlow and Ellen
his wife ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle.
14, m. 1 06 ; and another including the
capital messuage called Gidlow, Hindley
House, Bank House, &c., three years
later, perhaps on the marriage of his son
Thomas with Elizabeth daughter of Wil-
liam Kenyon of Pilkington ; GG, no.
1 60 1, 1609, 1611. A release was made
to Thomas in 1584 by John son of Wil-
liam Kenyon; GG, no. 1606. Two
years later Thomas Gidlow was elected
coroner ; GG, no. 1608. He died 28 Oct.
1606, holding various lands and the Lee
in Aspull of Miles Gerard of Ince, by a
rent of 141. and \id. ; also 12 acres and
the water-mill of the king, as of the late
Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem. Thomas
his son and heir was aged thirty-three
years ; Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Ches.), i, 73.
William Kenyon, who died in 1557,
held part of the old Hospitallers' lands in
Aspull by the gift of Robert Gidlow ; John
his son and heir was sixty years of age in
1586 ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xiv, no. 27.
22 Vint, of 1613 (Chet. Soc.), 50. The
last-named Thomas Gidlow recorded it ;
his son and heir, another Thomas, being
then twenty years of age.
The elder Thomas died about 1618-19,
but the age of his son Thomas is given as
only twenty-two years ; Kuerden, loc. cit.
no. 23. Thomas Gidlow contributed to
the subsidy in 1622 ; Misc. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), i, 162.
23 Towneley, GG,no. 1613-15. Risley
Hey and a stile called the Merrel are
mentioned ; also a lane called ' a certain
lisle lane' which led to Aynscough Lane,
going north to Aspull Moor.
24 John son of Thomas de Halghton,
or Houghton, of the Westhoughton family,
had two messuages and land in Aspull in
1317; Final Cone, ii, 25. John son of
Thomas de Houghton was defendant in a
claim for dower in 1351 and 1352; Duchy
of Lane. Assize R. I, m. v d. and R. 2, m. 2.
A Ralph Houghton of Kirklees married
Margery daughter of Richard Molyneux
Aspull Moor and Pennington Green, and so to
Wigan. 23
The Houghtons of KIRKLEES long continued in
possession ; 24 Ralph Houghton in 1653 renounced
his faith in order to secure his lands. 25 The Brad-
shaghs, already mentioned, 26 the Lathoms of Wolfill, 27
and the Lowes * s also held lands here. Later families
were the Rigbys M and Penningtons. 30
GIDLOW. s-izur
r on argent between fwo leo-
pard 's beads in chief and a
cross formyjitchy in base or.
of Hawkley ; Visit.
of 1567 (Chet.
Soc.), 109. For a
plea of 1554-5 by
Roger Heigham
claiming against Ralph Houghton lands
called Smyrrels and Gromerscroft in Aspull
see Ducatus Lane. (Rec. Com.), ii, 184.
Richard Houghton acquired lands in
Aspull, Ince, and Wigan from Christopher
Kenyon and Margery his wife in 1572,
and made a settlement in 1577 ; Lanes,
and Ches. Rec. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and
Ches.), ii, 255 ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F.
bdle. 34, m. 138 ; bdle. 39, m. 13.
Ralph Houghton was a purchaser in 1593 ;
ibid. bdle. 55, m. 200. He was one of
the ' comers to church but no communi-
cants 'in 1 590 ; Gibson, Lydiate Hall, 246.
Richard Houghton of Kirklees in 1616
married Bridget daughter of Adam Mort ;
Dugdale, Visit. (Chet. Soc.), 211. Richard
son and heir apparent of Ralph Houghton
of Kirklees in Aspull was a trustee for
William Heaton in 1619 ; Lanes. Inq. p.m.
(Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), ii, 1 60.
The succession of the various Richards
and Ralphs is not quite clear ; for Clem-
ence Simpson, formerly wife of Ralph
Houghton, in 1604-5 claimed an interest
in the Great Scraps in Aspull ; she had
formerly had a writ of dower against
Richard Houghton, uncle to Ralph,
Thomas, and Anne Aspull, Christopher
and Margaret Kenyon ; Duchy of Lane.
Plead. Hil. 2 Jas. I, bdle. 221.
A ' Mr. Ralph Houghton of Kirklees '
was buried at Wigan 12 Aug. 1643.
28 ' By some omission or mistake ' his es-
tate was in 1653 ordered to be sequestered ;
he had never 'acted against the State,'
had subscribed the engagement, but was
also required to take the oath of abjura-
tion. He was conformable, but being in-
firm asked for more time ; and afterwards
took the oath. The sequestration was dis-
charged in 1654; Royalist Comp. Papers
(Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), iii, 293 ;
Cal. of Com. for Compounding, iv, 3124.
26 In 1343 John de Ince, John son of
Henry de Tyldesley, and Robert son of
Robert de Hindley were charged with
having overthrown the house of William
son of Adam de Bradshagh at Aspull, and
shot at him ; Assize R. 430, m. 1 8 d. 20 d.26.
In 1473 Henry Bradshagh held a mes-
suage of the lord of Manchester, by rent
of 2d. and zd. for ward of the castle ;
Mamecestre, 480. The name of William
Bradshagh of Aspull occurs in a list of the
local gentry compiled about 1512. Wil-
liam Bradshagh contributed to the subsidy
of 1541, 'for 20 in goods' ; Misc. (Rec.
Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 143. For his
will see Lanes, and Ches. Wills (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), 187.
James Bradshagh in 1568 was deforciant
of fourteen messuages in Aspull, Wigan,
Hindley, and other places ; Humphrey
Bradshagh was one of the plaintiffs ; Pal.
of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 30, m. 75. Roger
Bradshagh was a purchaser or feoffee in
1583 ; ibid. bdle. 45, m. 122. He was
reported as ' soundly affected in religion '
in 1590; Gibson, Lydiate Hall, 246.
121
Margaret Bradshagh, daughter of Roger
Hindley, was in 1598 found to have held
lands in Aspull called the Several or Inland
of Miles Gerard by the hundredth part
of a knight's fee ; and other lands of
Roger Hindley. Elizabeth Bradshagh, her
daughter and heir, was only a year old ;
Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xvii, no. 43.
Roger Bradshagh was a freeholder in
1 600 ; Misc. (Rec. Soc.), i, 247. The
same or a later Roger contributed to the
subsidy of 1622 as a landowner ; ibid.
162. He died 17 June 1625, holding three
messuages and cottages and lands in Aspull
of Edward Mosley, as of the manor of
Manchester, by the tenth part of the eighth
part of a knight's fee ; also other mes-
suages and lands in Hindley ; William and
John were his sons by his first wife, liv-
ing in 1619, and Edward by his second
wife Ellen ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m.
xxvi, no. 52.
There is a short pedigree of these Brad-
shaghs in Dugdale, Visit. 54.
About the end of the I7th century
Nathaniel Molyneux had lands in the Hall
of Bradshaw in Aspull, Westhoughton, &c.
2 ? The Atherton family may have de-
rived their holding here as also in Hindley
from a grant by Adam de Hindley. In each
township it seems to have descended to
the Lathoms of Wolfall. The evidence,
however, is defective.
In 1420 Thomas de Atherton and
Margery his wife were deforciants of
eight messuages in Aspull, &c. ; Pal. of
Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 5, m. 16. In
1473 Thomas Lathom of Knowsley held
of the lord of Manchester a messuage in
Aspull, in right of his wife, daughter and
heir of Henry Atherton of Prescot, by the
rent of T,d. with $d. for ward of the cas-
tle ; Mamecestre, 48 1 .
The Lathoms, as the inquisitions show,
held the lands here till the end of the 1 6th
century, when Thomas Lathom and
Frances his wife disposed of them ; Pal.
of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 36, m. 158, 250.
28 Robert Law or Lowe in 1473 held a
messuage of the lord of Manchester, by a
rent of $d. and %d. for castle ward ;
Mamecestre, 481.
29 Alexander Rigby of Middleton in
Goosnargh, who died in 1621, held land in
Aspull of Thomas Gerard by a rent of
loi. %d. ; Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Ches.), iii, 456, 458. His son, Jo-
seph Rigby ' of Aspull,' Parliamentarian
officer, to whom it had been bequeathed,
is named in the pedigree in Dugdale,
Visit. 245 ; Diet. Nat. Biog. Joseph
and Alexander Rigby were clerks of the
peace under the Commonwealth ; Pal.
Note Bk. iv, 144-5. T he father, Major
Joseph Rigby was, however, accused of
'impeding profits,' by trying by threats to
secure the lands of 'papists and delin-
quents ' for himself under value ; Cal. of
Com. for Compounding i, 371. The son,
Alexander, was said to have joined Lord
Derby in 1651 ; Cal. Com. Advancing
Money, iii, 1455.
80 In addition to those already named
Robert Pennington, Robert Gorton, Roger
Rycroft, and John Ainscough were free-
16
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
In 1626 the landowners contributing to the subsidy
were Roger Hindiey, the heirs of Roger Bradshaw,
Thomas Gidlow, and Ralph Houghton. The two
last-named, as convicted recusants, paid double. 31
The hearth tax roll of 1 666 shows that i 3 5 hearths
were charged. The most considerable houses were
those of Richard Green, nine hearths ; Peter Orrell
and James Dukinfield, eight each ; Major Rigby and
Thomas Molyneux, seven each ; and Edward Gleast,
six."
John Roscow of Aspull compounded for his estate
under the Commonwealth. 33 Besides Thomas and
Richard Gerard of Highfield, the following ' papists '
registered estates here in 1717 : James and Roger
Leigh, Thomas Cooke, and Robert Taylor.* 4
The land tax returns of 1797 show the landowners
to have been Robert Holt Leigh, Sir Richard Clayton,
and others. 35
In connexion with the Established Church
St. Elizabeth's was built in 1882 by Mr. Roger
Leigh. The patronage is vested in trustees. 36 There
is also a licensed chapel known as Hi-dley Hall
chapel.
There are Wesleyan, Primitive Methodist, and
Independent Methodist churches.
The adherents of the ancient faith were formerly
indebted to the lords of the manor for the mission
established at Highfield; the Jesuits were serving it in
1701." In 1858 the permanent church of Our Lady
of the Immaculate Conception was erected 38 ; and
mo-e recently services have been commenced at New
Springs.
WINWICK
NEWTON GOLBORNE
HAYDOCK LOWTON
WINWICK WITH HULME KENYON
ASHTON CULCHETH
HOUGHTON, MIDDLETON,
AND ARBURY
SOUTHWORTH WITH
CROFT
The ancient parish of Winwicklies between Sankey
Brook on the south-west and Glazebrook and a tribu-
tary on the north and east, the distance between these
brooks being 4^ or 5 miles. The extreme length of
the parish is nearly 10 miles, and its area 26,502
acres.
The highest ground is on the extreme north-west
border, about 3 50 ft. ; most of the surface is above the
I oo ft. level, but slopes down on three sides to the
boundaries, 25 ft. being reached in Hulme in the
south. The geological formation consists of the Coal
Measures in the northern and western parts of the
parish, and of the Bunter series of the New Red
Sandstone in the remainder. Except Culcheth, which
belonged to the fee of Warrington, the whole was
included in the barony of Makerfield, the head of
which was Newton.
The townships were arranged in four quarters for
contributions to the county lay, to which the parish
paid one-eighth of the hundred levy, each quarter
paying equally : (l) Winwick with Hulme, half;
Newton, half; (2) Lowton and Kenyon, half; Hay-
dock and Golborne, half ; (3) Ashton ; (4) Culcheth,
two-thirds ; Southworth and Croft, a third. To the
ancient 'fifteenth,' out of a levy of 106 gs. 6d. on
the hundred, the parish contributed 8 $s. 6f</., as
follows: Newton, i los. ; Haydock, los. 9^.;
Ashton, z 14*. ^\d. ; Golborne, 8/. ; Lowton,
15*. %d. ; Culcheth, i 8/. \Q\d. ; Southworth and
Croft, gs. zd. ; Middleton with Arbury, 6s. 8<
holders in 1600 ; Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes.
and Ches.), i, 249, 251.
Ribert Pennington contributed to the
subs'dy in 1622 ; ibid. 162. Pennington
Hall is still marked on the map.
Robert Gorton purchased a messuage
&c. in 1581 ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F.
bdle. 43, m. 129. He died 10 Dec. 1624,
holding a messuage and lands in Aspull of
Edward Mosley, lord of Manchester, by
the twentieth part of the eighth part of a
knight's fee ; James, his son and heir, was
aged forty and more ; Duchy of Lane. Inq.
p.m. xxvi, no. 48. James died soon after-
wards ; ibid, xxvi, no. n.
Roger Rycroft seems to have purchased
part of the Lathom holding ; Pal. of Lane.
Feet of F. bdle. 36, m. 250. He died 15
Dec. 1612 holding of Miles Gerard, as of
the manor of Aspull ; his eldest ion
William having died before him he was
succeeded by his grandson, Roger Rycroft
the younger, son of William ; Lanes. Inq.
p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), iii,
3M--
Thomas Shaw and Alice his wife, and
John Ainscough and Ellen his wife, were
deforciants of a messuage and lands in
Aspull in 1392 ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F.
bdle. 54, m. 67. Miles Ainscough of
Aspull was a juror in 1619; Lanes. Inq.
p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), ii, 127.
John son of Henry del Ford of Aspull
recovered land here from Robert son of
Richard de Ince and a number of others,
including John de Buckshagh, in 1356;
Duchy of Lane. Assize R. 5, m. 29.
Emma de Buckshagh, who had been
'waived' for felony and died in 1401,
held as widow of William Buckshagh some
land here of Robert de Hulton and
Katherine his wife, in right of the latter.
Ellen daughter of William de Buckshagh
was the heir, and twenty-two years of age
in 1404 ; Lanes. Inq. (Chet. Soc.), i, 79,
80.
The Suttons and Gorsuches of Scaris-
brick also held land here, as appears by
their inquisitions. Edward Gorsuch had
a dispute as to lands called Asmoll and
Brandearth in Aspull in 1639 ; Exch.
Dtp. 26.
Hugh Swansey of Chorley was in 1567
found to have held lands in Aspull of
William Gerard of Ince by a rent of \d. ;
Robert was his son and heir ; Duchy of
Lane. Inq. p.m. xi, no. 29. Robert
Swansey and Anne his wife, and Edward
their son and heir apparent, were deforci-
ants of lands in Aspull four years later ;
John Ainscough was one of the plaintiffs ;
Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 33, m.
146.
Peter Catterall of Shevington (1583)
122
had held part of the Hospitallers' lands by
a rent of 1 8</. ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m.
xiv, no. 70.
A yeoman family named Pemberton
held land under the Hindleys. They became
Quakers, suffering accordingly, and emi-
grated to Pennsylvania in 1682, being
among the earliest settlers ; Friend? Misc.
(Phila.), vii ; Life of John Pemberton.
31 Lay Subs. R. bdle. 131, no. 312,
Lanes.
82 Ibid. bdle. 250, no. 9, Lanes.
88 Cal. of Com. for Compounding, ii,
1151.
84 Engl. Catb. Nonjurors, 153.
86 R. H. Leigh possessed Hindiey Hall,
Bank House, Leyland'sand Morris's ; the
devisees of James Hodson had Halliwell
and Leylands, the same and Doncaster
had Kirklees ; Sir R. Clayton had Gidlow
Hall, and Sir John Smith Bradshaw
Hall.
86 Bridgeman, Wigan Ch. (Chet. Soc.),
784 ; Land. Gam. 24 Apr. 1883.
8 ? Foley, Rec. Soc. Jesus, v, 320 ; Fr.
Richard Moore was in charge, with an
allowance of 5. Soon after him Fr.
John Bennet was there until his death in
1751 ; ibid, v, 323 ; vii, 50. At this
time ' Mr. Fazakerley ' is named as the
owner or tenant of Highfield.
88 Salford Dioc. Cal.
WEST DERBY HUNDRED
One of the great roads from south to north has
from the earliest times led through Winwick, Newton,
and Ashton, and there are several tumuli and other
ancient remains.
The Domesday Survey shows that a large part of
the surface consisted of woodland, and Garswood in
Ashton preserves the name of part of it. In the
Civil War two battles were fought near Winwick. In
more modern times coal mines have been worked and
manufactures introduced, and Earlestown has grown
up around the wagon-building works of the London
and North- Western Railway Company.
The agricultural land in the parish is utilized as
follows : Arable land, 16,2 5 8 acres ; permanent grass,
4,820 acres ; woods and plantations, 653 acres. The
following are details :
Winwick 2,192 247
Southworth and Croft . . . 1,596 130
Newton in Makerfield . . . 1,614 4 2 3
Lowton 960 570
Haydock I > 2 44 4 11
Golborne 951 448
Ashton in Makerfield . . . 3,228 1,210
Culcheth and Kenyon . . . 4,473 1,381
I*
25
72
16
433
9
Newton has given the title of baron to the lord of
the manor, who has, however, no residence in the
parish ; Lord Gerard of Brynn has his principal seat
at Garswood.
Dr. Kuerden thus describes a journey through the
parish made about 1695 : ' Entering a little hamlet
called the Hulme you leave on the left a deep and
fair stone quarry fit for building. You meet with
another crossway on the right. A mile farther stands
WINWICK
a fair-built church called Winwick church, a remark-
able fabric. . . . Leaving the church on the right
about a quarter of a mile westwards stands a princely
building, equal to the revenue, called the parsonage
of Winwick ; and near the church on the right hand
stands a fair-built schoolhouse. By the east end of
the church is another road, but less used, to the
borough of Wigan.
'Having passed the school about half a mile you
come to a sandy place called the Red Bank, where
Hamilton and his army were beaten. Here, leaving
Bradley park, and a good seat belonging to Mr.
Brotherton of Hey (a member of Parliament for the
borough of Newton) on the left hand, and Newton
park on the right, you have a little stone bridge over
Newton Brook, three miles from Warrington. On
the left hand close by a water mill appear the ruins
of the site of the ancient barony of Newton, where
formerly was the baron's castle.
' Having passed the bridge you ascend a rock,
where is a penfold cut out of the same, and upon the
top of the rock was lately built a court house for the
manor, and near to it a fair re-edified chapel of stone
built by Richard Legh, deceased, father to Mr. Legh,
the present titular baron of Newton. There stands a
stately cross, near the chapel well, adorned with the
arms belonging to the present baron. Having passed
the town of Newton you leave a cross-road on the
left going to Liverpool by St. Helen's chapel. You
pass in winter through a miry lane for half a mile ;
you leave another lane on the left passing by Bil-
linge. . . .
* Then passing on a sandy lane you leave Haydock
park, and (close by the road) Haydock lodge, belong-
ing to Mr. Legh, and going on half a mile you pass
123
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
by the chapel and through the town of Ashton,
standing upon a rocky ground, which belongeth to
Sir William Gerard, bart., of Brynn, who resides at
Garswood, about a mile to the east (sic). Having
passed the stone bridge take the left hand way, which
though something fouler is more used. You then
pass by Whitledge Green, a place much resorted to
in summer by the neighbouring gentry for bowling.
Shortly after, you meet with the other way from
Ashton bridge by J. Naylor's, a herald painter and an
excellent stainer of glass for pictures or coats of arms.
Through a more open coach-way passing on upon the
right leave the Brynn gate, a private way leading to the
ancient hall of Brynn, and upon the left another road
by Garswood to the hall of Parr, a seat belonging to
the Byroms, and to St. Helen's chapel ; and thence
past Hawkley to Wigan.' *
Among the worthies of the parish may here be
noted Thomas Legh Claughton, born at Haydock
Lodge in 1808, who became Bishop of Rochester in
1867, resigning in 1890, and died in 1892 ; s also
Thomas Risley, a Nonconformist divine, 1630 to 1716.*
The following in 1630-3 compounded by annual
fines for the two-thirds of their estates liable to be
sequestered for their recusancy : Ashton, Sir William
Gerard of Brynn, 106 I 3/. \d. ; Jane Gerard ; Cul-
cheth, Richard Urmston, 6 ; Lowton, Peter and
Roger Haughton, 3 ; Southworth, Christopher Bow
of Croft, 2 ios. &
The church of ST. OSWALD has a
CHURCH chancel 6 with north vestry, nave with
aisles and south porch, and west tower
and spire. It is built of a very inferior local sand-
stone, with the result that its history has been much
obscured by repairs and rebuildings, and cannot be
taken back beyond the I4th century ; though the
dedication and the fragment of an early cross, now set
up outside the chancel, both point to an early occupa-
tion of the site.
The chancel was entirely rebuilt in 18478 in
14th-century style, the elder Pugin being the archi-
tect, and is a fine and well-designed work with a high-
pitched leaded roof, a four-light east window, and
three-light windows on north and south. There are
three canopied sedilia and a piscina, and the arched
ceiling is panelled, with gilt bosses at the intersection
of the ribs, and a stone cornice with carved paterae.
The nave is of six bays, with a north arcade having
pointed arches of two orders with sunk quarter-round
mouldings, and curious clustered piers considerably
too thick for the arches they carry, and projecting in
front of the wall-face towards the nave. The general
outline is octagonal with a hollow between two
quarter-rounds on each cardinal face, and a deep
V-shaped sinking on the alternate faces. The abacus
of the capitals is octagonal, but the necking follows
the outline of the piers, and pairs of trefoiled leaves
rise from the hollows on the cardinal faces. The
bases, of very rough work, are panelled on the cardinal
faces, with engaged shafts 6 in. high, while on the
diagonal faces are badly-cut mitred heads.
There is a curious suggestion of 14th-century de-
tail in the arcade, in spite of its clumsiness, but the
actual date is probably within a few years of 1600.
The clearstory above has three windows set over the
alternate arches, of four lights with uncusped tracery
and low four-centred heads.
The south arcade, ' from the first pillar eastward to
the fifth west,' was taken down and rebuilt from the
foundations in 1836. It has clustered piers of quatre-
foil section, and simply moulded bell capitals with
octagonal abaci, the arches being of two chamfered
orders with labels ending in pairs of human heads at
the springing. The original work belonged to the
beginning of the I4th century. The clearstory on
this side has six windows, of four uncusped lights
without tracery, under a four-centred head, all the
stonework being modern.
At the east end of the north aisle is the Gerard
Chapel, inclosed with an iron screen, which about 1 848
replaced a wooden screen dated 'in the yere of our
Lord MCCCCLXXXI.' There is a three-light east window
and two four-light windows on the north, all with
16th-century uncusped tracery. In the aisle west of
the chapel are three four-light north windows with
embattled transoms and uncusped tracery, and a north
doorway with a square-headed window over it, of four
uncusped lights. The tracery, except part in the
Gerard Chapel, has been lately renewed, the original
date of the windows being perhaps c. 1530-50. On
the external faces of the transoms is carved the IHS
monogram. The two east bays of the south aisle are
taken up by the Legh Chapel, and separated by an
arch at the west from the rest of the aisle. This
western portion was rebuilt in 1530, being dated by
an inscription running round the external cornice,
and the Legh Chapel is somewhat earlier in date,
perhaps c. 1500. The chapel has a small doorway on
the south, a three-light window on the east, and two
on the south, all with uncusped tracery, the stone-
work being mutilated, and in the aisle are three four-
light windows on the south, with embattled transoms
and tracery uncusped except in the upper middle
lights, and one window at the west, also of four
lights, but of different design. On the external faces
of the transoms are carved roses, all the stonework
being modern. The aisle has a vice at the south-
west angle. The south porch is low, and the inscribed
cornice of the aisle runs above it without a break.
The porch has been completely refaced, and opens to
the south aisle by a four-centred doorway with con-
tinuous mouldings. Both aisles and clearstory have
embattled parapets and leaded roofs of low pitch. The
inscription round the south aisle is in leonine hexa-
meters, running from west to east, and is as follows :
Hie locus Oswalde quondam placuit tibi valde ;
Nortanhumbrorum fueras rex, nuncque polorum
Regna tenes, prato passus Marcelde vocato.
Poscimus hinc a te nostri memor esto beate.
Anno milleno quingentenoque triceno
Sclater post Christum murum renovaverat
istum ;
Henricus Johnson curatus erat simul hie tune.
The tower retains much of its old facing, though
the surface is much decayed. It has a vice at the
* Local Gleanings Lanes, and Ches. i, 209.
On p. 214 is his note of the other road
from Winwick to Wigan as follows :
' Leaving the church on the left hand,
half a mile from thence you have a fair
built house formerly belonging to Charles
Herle, parson of Winwick. . . . You
leave Lowton township, passing over Low-
ton Cop, leaving Byrom not far on the
right and the New Church, being a paro-
chial chapel to Winwick. 1
8 Diet. Nat. Biog.
124
* Ibid. ; see also the account of Cul-
cheth. 8 Lucas, ' Warton ' (MS.).
6 For the former chancel see Sir S.
Glynne's account, Ch. of Lanes. (Chet.
Soc.) 27, 91 ; also generally the Rev.
W. A. Wickham in Trans. Hist. Soc. 1908.
WINWICK CHURCH, FROM THR SOUTH
WINWICK CHURCH : NORTH ARCADE OF NAVE
WEST DERBY HUNDRED
WINWICK
south-east angle, which ends with a flat top at the
level of an embattled parapet at the base of the spire.
The spire is of stone, and has two rows of spire lights,
and the belfry windows are of two trefoiled lights with
quatrefoils in the head. All the work belongs to the
first half of the I4th century, and in the ground
story is a three-light west window with modern net
tracery, flanked by two empty niches, with below it
a four-centred doorway with continuous wave-mould-
ings. The tower arch is of three continuous wave-
moulded orders. On the west face of the tower, to
the south of the niche flanking the west window on
the south, is a small and very weathered carving of a
pig with a bell round his neck, known as the Winwick
pig. His story is that, like other supernatural
agencies under similar circumstances elsewhere, he in-
sisted on bringing all the stones with which the church
was being built on another and lower site to the pre-
sent site, removing each night the preceding day's work. 7
The roof of the Gerard Chapel is modern, but
that of the Legh Chapel has heavily-moulded timbers,
ceiled between with plaster panels having moulded
ribs and four-leaved flowers at the centres. Below
the beams, at the wall plates, are angels holding
shields with heraldry. 8
The roofs of the aisles have cambered tie-beams and
braces, with panels between the beams divided into
four by wood ribs. Neither roof is set out to space
with the arcades or windows, the south aisle roof
being of seven bays, that in the north aisle of six ;
they belong probably to c. 1530.
In the vestry is a very fine and elaborate I Jth-cen-
tury carved beam, found used up in a cottage. It
has eleven projecting brackets for images, that in the
middle being larger than the others, and may have
been the front beam of the rood-loft. It is 15 ft.
long. An altar table in the vestry dated 1725 is
inlaid with mahogany, with a * glory ' in the middle
and initials at the corners, and a monogram AT.
In the Gerard Chapel is the fine brass of Piers
Gerard, son of Sir Thomas Gerard of the Brynn,
1485, and in the Legh Chapel is a second brass, now
set against the east wall, with the figures of Sir Peter
Legh, 1527, and his wife Ellen (Savage), 1491. Sir
Peter was ordained priest after his wife's death, and is
shown on his brass tonsured and with mass vestments
over his armour. Below are figures of children.
There is a brass plate in the chancel pavement to
Richard Sherlock, rector, 1689.
Later monuments in the Legh Chapel are those of
Sir Peter Legh, 1635, and Richard Legh and his wife,
1687. On the south side of the chapel some ala-
baster panels with strapwork and heraldry, from a
destroyed Jacobean monument, are built into the wall. 9
There are six bells, re-cast in 1711.
The church possesses two chalices, patens, and
flagons of 1786 ; two chalices, four patens, and two
flagons of 1795 ; and a sifter and tray of the same
date. Also a pewter flagon and basin, two large
copper flagons, red enamelled, with gold flower paint-
ing of Japanese style, a gilded brass almsdish and two
plates, designed by Pugin, and an ebony staff with a
plated head, the gift of Geoffrey Hornby, rector,
1781-1812.
In the chancel hangs a brass chandelier, given by
the Society of Friends of Warrington.
The registers begin in 1563, the paper book not
being extant. The first volume contains the years
1563-1642, the entries to 1598 being copies. The
next volumes in order are 163077, 1676-95,
1696-1717, 1716-33.
The octagonal bowl of a 14th-century font found in
1877 beneath the floor of the church now lies outside
the east end of the chancel, in company with the
piece of an early cross-head described in a previous
volume. 10 It is much worn, but has had four-leaved
flowers on each face, with raised centres, and must
have been a good piece of work when perfect. 11
' St. Oswald had two plough-lands
ADrOWSON exempt from all taxation ' in 1066,
so that the parish church has been
well endowed from ancient times. 11 Possibly the
dedication suggested to Roger of Poitou the pro-
priety of granting it to St. Oswald's Priory, Nostell, 13
a grant which appears to have been renewed or con-
firmed by Stephen, Count of Mortain, between 1114
and 1 12 1. 14 In II 23 Henry I
wrote to the Bishop of Ches-
ter, directing that full justice
should be done to the prior
and canons of Nostell, whose
clerks in Makerfield were de-
priving them of their dues. 15
From this time the prior and
canons presented to the church,
receiving certain dues or a fixed
pension ; but beyond the state-
ment in the survey of 1 2 1 2 16
nothing is known until 1252,
when Alexander, Bishop of
Lichfield, having been appealed to by the prior and
the canons, decreed that on the next vacancy they
should present ' a priest of honest conversation and
competent learning ' as vicar, who should receive the
whole of the fruits of the church, paying to Lichfield
Cathedral and to Nostell Priory a sum of money as
might be fixed by the bishop. In the meantime the
annual pension of $os. then paid to Nostell from the
church of Winwick was to be divided equally, half
being paid to the church of Lichfield. 17 A century
NOSTELL PRIORY.
Gules a cross beKveen
four lions rampant or.
1 Lanes, and Ches. Antiq. Soc. xxiii, 213.
The niche may have held an image of
St. Anthony.
8 These shields have been repainted,
and it is evident that this has been done
incorrectly. They seem, however, to be
intended for the arms of the following
families : Butler of Merton, Croft of
Dalton, Legh of Lyme, Boydell, Boydell
and Haydock.
9 The inscriptions on the various monu-
ments are given in Beamont, Win-wick,
119-25 ; see also Thornely, Brasses, 61,
169. Notes of the arms, &c. found in
the church in the i6th and ijth centuries
are printed in Trans. Hist. Soc. (new
ser.), vi, 265 ; xiv, 210.
10 y.C.H. Lanes, i, 262.
11 Local Glean. Lanes, and Ches. ii, 113 ;
Trans. Hist. Soc. (new ser.), xvii, 69.
For a traditional rhyme ' When a
maid is married there the steeple gives
a nod' see Lanes, and Ches. Hist, and Gen.
Notes, iii, 10. la V.C.H. Lanes, i, 286.
18 Lanes. Inq. and Ext. (Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Ches.), i, 72.
14 Farrer, Lanes. Pipe R. 301.
15 Ibid. 300.
16 Lanes. Inq. and Ext. loc. cit.
17 Lich. Epis. Reg. v, fol. 6ib. It may
125
perhaps be inferred from the notices of the
rectors that the prior and canons had
farmed out the church to a family of here-
ditary ' clerks ' ; and when this arrange-
ment was terminated, opportunity wag
taken to secure a certain payment to the
priory, and also an equal sum to Lichfield
Cathedral. In future the actual holder of
the rectory was to be styled a 'vicar,'
though he received all the revenues ; and
for a century and a half accordingly he
was usually so called, though ' parson '
also occurs frequently. The poverty of
both priory and cathedral was alleged as
the reason for the pensions.
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
later it appears that a pension of 24 marks was due
from the vicarage to the monastery. 18
In 1291 the annual value was estimated as
26 i$s. 4</., 19 while in 1341 the ninth of the corn,
wool, &c. was valued at 50 marks. 20
The first dispute as to the patronage seems to have
occurred in I 307, when John de Langton claimed it
in right of his wife Alice, heiress of the lords of Maker-
field. The priors of Nostell, however, were able to
show a clear title, and the claim was defeated. 81
About fifty years later the patronage was acquired by
the Duke of Lancaster." In 1381 the king was
patron,* 3 and the Crown retained the right until
Henry VI granted it to Sir John de Stanley, reserving
to the prior an annual pension of ioo/. 24 From this
time it has descended with the main portion of the
Stanley properties, the Earl of Derby being patron.
In 1534 the net value was returned as 1 02 9/. %d., K
but in 1650 the income was estimated at over 660,
and Bishop Gastrell reckoned it at about j8oo after
the curates had been paid.* 7 At the beginning of last
century, before the division of the endowment, the
benefice was considered the richest in the kingdom, 23
and its gross value is still put at ^i,6oo. S9
The following have been rectors :
Instituted
oc. 1191 . .
OC. I 2 I 2 .
oc. 1232 . .
c. 1250 . .
oc. 1287 . . .
8 Feb. 1306-7.
1325 . .
Name
Hugh 80
Richard"
Robert 81
N 33
Alexander de Tamworth M
Augustine de Darington K
John de Mosley 36 . . .
John de Bamburgh 37
Presented by
Priory of Nostell
John de Chisenhale M Bishop of Lichfield
Cause of Vacancy
d. of J. de Bamburgh
18 Lich. Epis. Reg. ii, 125 b.
19 Pope Nich. Tax. (Rec. Com.), 249.
80 Inq. Non. (Rec. Com.), 40. The
separate townships stood thus : Ashton,
8 6s. 8</. ; Haydock, 311. 8< ; Newton,
4 31. 4</. ; Golborne, ^3 is. %d. ; Low-
ton and Kenyon, ^4 ; Middleton and
Houghton, i ; Culcheth, 5 i6s. %d. ;
Croft and Southworth, 2 6s. %d. ; Win-
wick and Hulme, ^3.
81 De Banco R. 162,01.4. The canons
had presented on the three preceding
vacancies, viz., Alexander de Tamworth,
Augustine de Darington in the time of
Henry III, and John de Mosley. These
were probably all that had been appointed
since the termination of the old arrange-
ment.
Again in 1325, on the death of John
de Bamburgh, the Prior of Nostell had to
defend his right, the Bishop of Lichfield
claiming on the ground that the prior
having presented an unfit person (Roger
de Atherton, Canon of Nostell) the right
had devolved on himself as ordinary, and
he had conferred the vicarage on one John
de Chisenhale. The prior vindicated his
right, but the bishop's presentee retained
possession ; De Banco R. 258, m. 4 d.
In 1 349 it was agreed that a canon of
Nostell should thenceforward be appointed
to the vicarage; Cal. Pat. 1348-50, p. 423.
82 In 1360, and later, the king and
John of Gaunt claimed the advowson,
the church being then vacant ; De Banco
R. 404, m. 3 ; 406, m. 252 ; 409, m. 18 d.
All charters relating to Winwick have
been omitted from the Nostell chartulary.
83 See the appointments in 1384 and
later years. One of those nominated was
a Boteler, as if the claim of Sir William
Boteler had been recognized in some way.
At this time, however, the prior of
Nostell sold to Robert de Morton an an-
nuity of 8 marks for 240, which sum
the prior was to employ in procuring the
appropriation of Winwick ; he misspent
the money and involved the house in a
debt of 1,200 marks; Beamont, Wmtvick,
12, quoting Batty, Nostell Priory, 20.
84 Close, 12 Hen. VI, m. 13 d. which
records a grant (undated) of the advowson
made by John, Prior of Nostell, to Sir John
de Stanley, Sir Thomas de Stanley, and
Henry de Byrom. It will be seen that
Sir John de Stanley was patron earlier,
having presented Thomas Bourgchier at
the beginning of 1433. The Bishop of
Lichfield had presented, by lapse, ten years
before; and as the rector then appointed
was a Stanley, it is probable that this
family had already acquired the patronage,
or the promise of it. In 1 5 1 8 the Prior
of Nostell claimed the IOQJ. rent and ^30
arrears from the executors of Bishop Stan-
ley ; Pal. of Lane. Plea R. 123, m. 9.
8S Valor Eccl. (Rec. Com.), v, 220.
The gross total was made up thus : Rents,
44 8j. j.d. ; great tithes, 58 161. %d. ;
small tithes, oblations, and Easter roll,
15 in all 118 41. Gowther Legh
(the steward) and the bailiff had each a
fee of 5 ; the same amount was paid to
Nostell Priory ; and i$s. \d. was paid to
the Archdeacon of Chester. 'A good
benefice ' is Leland's note on Winwick ;
Itin. vii, 47.
84 Common-wealth Ch. Surv. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), 46. The parsonage
house and glebe lands were worth 160 a
year ; three water corn-mills, ^30 ; rents
of tenants, 28 ; tithes, 445 zs. all of
which the rector then had to his own use.
8 ? Not. Cestr. (Chet. Soc.), ii, 260-4 5
the tenants of the glebe renewed with
every new rector, and once in twenty-one
years if he continued so long ; what was
paid by the tenants upon each renewal
amounted to about 1,000, but the rector
was not obliged to renew. There were
four churchwardens and four assistants,
serving for the four quarters they lived in.
88 Gregson, Fragments (ed. Harland),
340. In 1835 its value was said to be
^7,000 a year, of which ,3,000 was from
tithes ; Baines, Lanes, (ist ed.), iii, 623.
The Winwick Church Acts authorizing
the division are 4 & 5 Vic. cap. 9 (pri-
vate), and 8 & 9 Vic. cap. 9 (private).
89 Liverpool Dioc. Cal.
80 Wballey Coucher (Chet. Soc.), i, 40.
81 Lanes. Inq. and Ext. i, 72.
88 Lich. Epis. Reg. Stavenby, v, fol. 6 1*;
rector named as then living in the ordi-
nance concerning a vicarage at Winwick.
Robert is mentioned also in a suit in
126
1277 as having made a grant of land ; De
Banco R. 19, m. 54 d. In 1271 Robert
son of the rector of Winwick, and Amaria
and Juliana his sisters accused Henry de
Sefton of taking their goods and chattels ;
Cur. Reg. R. 204, m. 1 1 d. He was a
son of Robert the rector ; see Beamont,
Winiuick, 16. William son of Robert the
rector also occurs ; Towneley MS. HH,
no. 1699.
38 ' N. rector of Winwick ' attested a
deed made about 1250; Dods. MSS. liii,
fol. 176.
84 De Banco R. 162, m. 4.
85 Ibid. ; appointed in the time of
Henry III, and vicar for thirty years. He
appears as plaintiff in the early years of
Edward I down to 1279, an( ^ ' s some-
times called Augustine de Winwick ; De
Banco R. 18, m. 15 ; 23, m. 21.
86 De Banco R. 162, m. 4 ; his death
was the occasion of a dispute as to the
patronage early in 1307. He was vicar
as early as 1287 and in 1292 ; Harl. MS.
21 12, fol. 1586-1946; Assize R. 408,
m. 58 d.
In a plea of 1352 it was asserted that
' John de Warnefield, vicar of the church
of Winwick,' granted the lands in dispute
in the time of Edward II ; Duchy of
Lane. Assize R. 2, m. 6 (Mich.). Bea-
mont, however, states that his name
occurs in 1292 (Winivick, 17) ; in which
case he must be identical either with
John de Mosley, who died a short time
before the accession of Edward II, or
with John de Bamburgh.
8 ' Lich. Epis. Reg. Langton, i, fol.
lob ; he was ordered to reside in the
parish. Nothing further is known of him
except that he was defendant in a case in
1307 ; De Banco R. 164, m. 324.
88 For the circumstances of his pre-
sentation see a preceding note. He gave
a bond to the prior of Nostell for 316 ;
Nostell Reg. fol. 23 (B.M. Cott. Vesp. E.
xix). He occurs as vicar in 1332 as
defendant in a suit concerning land in
Culcheth : De Banco R. 290, m. 3 ; and
Final Cone. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.),
ii, 86, and in later cases, e.g. Coram
Rege R. 297, m. 6 d. (where he is called
' parson ').
WEST DERBY HUNDRED
WINWICK
Instituted Name Presented by
12 Dec. 1349 Geoffrey de Burgh 39 Priory of Nostell .
. . William de Blackburn 40 ....
oc. 13845 . . John de Harwood 41
23 Jan. 1384-5 . Thomas le Boteler u The King . . .
- 1386 . . Walter de Thornholme 43 . ... . . .
1388 . . Robert le King " The Pope . . .
6 May 1389 William Daas 45 . . . . {ThePope. * '
(The King . . .
3 April 1423 . Mr. Richard Stanley 46 Bishop of Lichfield
ii Mar. 1432-3 Thomas Bourchier 47 Sir John Stanley .
oc. 1436 . . George Radcliffe, D. Deer. 48 . . .
19 June 1453 . Edward Stanley 49 Sir Thomas Stanley
22 Nov. 1462 . James Stanley 50 Henry Byrom . .
25 Aug. 1485 . Robert Cliff 51 Lord Stanley . .
27 Feb. 1493-4. Mr. James Stanley, D.Can.L. " . . Earl of Derby . .
2 1 June 1515 . Mr. Thomas Larke S3 ...
1525 . . Thomas Winter 54 The King . . .
23 Dec. 1529 . William Boleyne" . . .
10 April 1 5 52 . Thomas Stanley 56 Earl of Derby . .
Cause of Vacancy
d. J. de Chisenhale
d. R. Stanley
d. G. Radcliffe
d. E. Stanley
d. J. Stanley
res. R. Cliff
d. Bp. of Ely
res. T. Larke
res. T. Winter
d. W. Boleyne
89 Lich. Epis. Reg. Northburgh, ii, fol.
I2$. He was a canon of Nostell. His
institution was confirmed eight years
later, viz., 28 Nov. 1357 ; ibid, ii, fol.
126. In the following year he was
described as ' lately vicar ' ; Raines MSS.
(Chet. Lib.), xxxviii, 425. The church
was vacant in 1360 ; De Banco R. 404,
m. 3.
40 Dep. Keeper's Rep. xl, App. 523. It
is not known whether Blackburn and his
immediate successors were ever insti-
tuted.
41 Ibid. A protection for John de Har-
wood, vicar of Winwick, against William
de Blackburn, late usurper of the benefice ;
dated 22 Jan. 1384-5.
43 Cal.Pat. 1381-5, p. 528. It will be
noticed that he was presented the day
after the protection to John de Harwood
was granted.
48 Ibid. 1385-9, p. 127 ; this was only
a ' ratification of his estate.' He was to
have accompanied John of Gaunt into
Aquitaine in 1388, but stayed behind in
London ; ibid. pp. 497, 518.
44 Robert le King is named as ' per-
petual vicar" of Winwick, in July 1388 ;
Towneley MS. OO, no. 1539.
45 Cal. Pat. 1388-92, pp. 32, 363.
After the disputes and unsettlement in-
dicated by these rapid changes came a
time of rest, this rector remaining for
about thirty years.
It was the pope who presented William
Daas to the rectory, the advowson being
in his hands ; but the Statute of Provisors
causing difficulty the king presented the
same clerk, and afterwards ratified his
title. These facts appear from a petition
by the rector, about 1398, complaining
that a certain Robert de Hallam had in-
formed the king that the church was
vacant, and procured a presentation for
himself; P.R.O. Anct. Pet. file 220,
no. 10999.
William Daas had licence for an ora-
tory in 1393 ; Lich. Epis. Reg. Scrope,
vi, fol. i29/>. From this and other evi-
dences he appears to have been resident.
A complaint was made by him in 1393
that having closed a path through one of
his glebe fields, Sir John le Boteler and
others had forcibly broken through. The
verdict was in his favour ; Pal. of Lane.
Misc. bdle. i, file 8, m. 6, 7. He is
al*o mentioned in 1404 and 1405 ;
ibid, file 9, m. 71, 68. In 1407 he pur-
chased from Sir William Boteler the right
to make a weir or attachment for captur-
ing fish in Sankey water ; Beamont,
Winiuick, 19 (quoting Butler Deeds). He
with Thomas de Longley (late Archdeacon
of Norfolk), Eustace Daas, and John
Drewe, gave fine for a writ in 1411-12 ;
Dep. Keeper's Rep. xxxvii, App. i, 173.
46 Lich. Epis. Reg. Heyworth, ix, fol.
uzb. As the bishop collated, the 'vicar-
age,' as it is still called, must have been
vacant for some time, but the reason is not
given. Master Richard Stanley was ap-
pointed archdeacon of Chester in 1426 ;
Le Neve, Fasti, i, 567.
47 Lich. Epis. Reg. Heyworth, ix, izib.
The new ' rector ' probably held the bene-
fice till his consecration as Bishop of
Worcester in 1435 ; he became Arch-
bishop of Canterbury ; Diet. Nat. Biog.
48 Dr. George Radcliffe, son of Sir
Ralph Radcliffe of Smithills, was Arch-
deacon of Chester in 1449; Le Neve, op. cit.
He held a canonry in St. John's, Chester,
till his death ; Ormerod, Cbes. (ed. Hels-
by), i, 310. He is mentioned as rector
in 1436 ; Kuerden MSS. Hi, W. 6, no. 79.
He had been rector of Wilmslow and
Longford in succession ; Earwaker, East
Cheshire, i, 88. For pedigree see Whi-
taker, Whalley (ed. Nichols), ii, 319.
49 Lich. Epis. Reg. Boulers, xi, fol. 37^.
He was also appointed Archdeacon of
Chester ; Le Neve, loc. sup. cit.
60 Lich. Epis. Reg. Hales, xii, fol. ioob.
Henry Byrom was patron for this turn.
James Stanley was a son of the first Lord
Stanley ; Archdeacon of Chester 1478,
Warden of Manchester 1481, and Rector
of Warrington 1482, holding all these
till his death ; see Le Neve.
61 Lich. Epis. Reg. Hales, xii, fol. 120 ;
he engaged to pay a pension of 24 marks
a year to the dean and chapter of Lich-
field. One Robert ClifFe was priest of a
chantry in St. John's, Chester, from 1478
to 1516 ; Ormerod, op. cit. i, 313.
62 Lich. Epis. Reg. Smith, xii, fol. 157^.
He was son of the patron, and had suc-
ceeded his uncle as Warden of Manches-
ter in 1485. He became Bishop of Ely
in 1506, retaining Winwick till his death.
An account of him will be found in Diet.
Nat. Biog.
53 Lich. Epis. Reg. Blyth, xiii-xiv, fol.
59. He held various benefices, being one
of Cardinal Wolsey's chaplains, and his
confessor. He continued faithful to Wolsey
on his fall and died just before him in
1530 ; see L. and P. Hen. VIII , iv, 2936,
I2 7
&c. The scandal of the times alleged
that his sister had been the cardinal's
mistress.
In July 1515 Thomas, Earl of Derby,
granted to Sir William Pole and others
the advowson of Winwick, with instruc-
tions to present Randle Pole, clerk, at the
next vacancy ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m.
v, no. 68. Randle Pole was rector of
Hawarden in 1516.
54 L. and P. Hen. VIII, iv, 3095 ; the
king presented on account of the minority
of the patron.
Thomas Winter is usually stated to
have been the son of Cardinal Wolsey,
but was perhaps his nephew. He appears
at this time to have been only a boy, and
in 1519 was learning Latin. In 1528
he was living in Paris, continuing his
studies. The manner in which benefices
and dignities (e.g. the deanery of Wells,
the archdeaconries of York, Richmond,
Suffolk, and Norfolk) were heaped upon
this non-resident youth is a singular illus-
tration of the zeal for Church reform
sometimes attributed to Cardinal Wolsey.
Winter appears to have resigned his pre-
ferments at or soon after the cardinal's
fall, and nothing more is known of him.
See L. and P. Hen. VIII, iii, iv, and Le
Neve.
55 Lich. Epis. Reg. Blyth, xiii-xiv, fol.
65^. The presentation, dated 20 Nov.,
was made by the king, the Earl of Derby
being still a minor ; L. and P. Hen. VIII,
iv, 2710. He received other church pre-
ferments about this time, being probably
William Bolen, Archdeacon of Win-
chester, 1529 ; Le Neve, op. cit. iii, 26.
For the bells, plate, and other orna-
ments in 1552 see Ch. Gds. (Chet. Soc.),
62-5.
56 Act Bks. at Ches. Dioc. Reg. He
paid his first-fruits 5 Apr. 1552 ; Lanes,
and Ches. Recs. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and
Ches.), ii, 408. A fuller account of him
will be found under Wigan, of which
church, as also of North Meols, he was
rector ; Bishop of Sodor and Man ; see
Diet. Nat. Biog.
In Oct. 1563 Bishop Stanley leased
the rectory, including the manor and
glebe, for ninety-nine years at a rent of
120 to Sir Thomas Stanley. The Earl
of Derby, father of the lessee, and the
Bishop of Chester were consenting parties.
This lease appears to have caused much
difficulty and loss, and in 1618 the rector
endeavoured to have it cancelled ; by a
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
Instituted
19 Mar. 1568-9
7 Jan. 1575-6-
1 8 Feb. 1596-7.
27 Mar. 1616 .
27 June 1626
19 Oct. 1660 .
24 July 1689
30 July 1692
9 Sept. 1725 .
13 Sept. 1740 .
18 May 1742 .
24 Aug. 1764 .
Name
Christopher Thompson, M.A.
John Caldwell, M.A. M . .
Presented by
Thomas Handford.
Earl of Derby . .
John Ryder, M.A. . .
Josiah Home w . . . .
Charles Herle, M.A. 61 .
Thomas Jessop * . . .
Richard Sherlock, D.D. G3 .
Thomas Bennet, B.D. 64 .
Hon. Henry Finch, M.A. 6i
Francis Annesley, LL.D. M
Hon. John Stanley, M.A. 6r
Thomas Stanley, LL.D. 68
Hon. John Stanley, M.A. *
The King . . .
Sir Edward Stanley
Cause of Vacancy
d. Bp. Stanley
fdepr. or removal of
{ Chr. Thompson
prom. Bp. Ryder
d. J. Home
Earl of Derby ....
John Bennet . . . . d. R. Sherlock
Earl of Derby . . . . d. T. Bennet
Trustees res. H. Finch
Charles Stanley . . . d. F. Annesley
Earl of Derby .... res. J. Stanley
. . . . d. T. Stanley
compromise the hall and manor were given
to the rector, but the remainder continued
to be held by the Earl of Worcester, Sir
John and Dame Frances Fortescue, and
Petronilla Stanley, representatives of Sir
Thomas Stanley, whose son, Sir Edward,
had left four daughters as co-heirs. It
continued to give trouble until its expiry
in 1662. See Beamont, Win-wick, 32,
37, 41, 56 ; alio references in Lanes, and
Cbes. Recs. ii, 263, 346.
' Church Papers at Chester Dioc. Reg.
Thomas Handford presented by grant of
the Earl of Derby. The new rector paid
his first-fruits 31 March 1569; Lanes,
and Ches. Recs. ii, 409. He afterwards
renounced Protestantism, went to Douay,
and being ordained priest, was sent on the
English mission in 1577; Knox, Douay
Diaries, 8, 25, 276. He was very soon
apprehended by the Earl of Derby ' as a
vagrant person and one suspected of some
lewd practices by reason of his passing to
and fro over the seas ' ; Acts of Privy C.
I 577~8, p. 309. After suffering seven
years' imprisonment in the Marshalsea
and Tower he was sent into exile in
1585; Misc. (Cath. Rec. Soc.), i, 70;
ii, 228 ; Knox, op. cit. 288.
48 Raines MSS. (Chet. Lib.), xxii, 52.
It appears that the Bishop of Chester
claimed the presentation, perhaps by lapse,
John Shireburne, B.D., being nominated
by him (see Brindle). The Earl of Derby's
nomination prevailed, and Caldwell paid
his first-fruits on 20 Feb. 1575-6 ; Lanes,
and Cbes. Recs. ii, 410. He was also
rector of Mobberley ; Ormerod, Ches.
(ed. Helsby), i, 412,428. He was one
of the earl's chaplains, and a favourite
preacher ; Derby Household Bks. (Chet.
Soc.), 132, 133.
49 Lanes, and Ches. Recs. ii, 411. He
was born at Carrington in Cheshire, and
educated at Jesus Coll. Oxf. ; M.A.
1583. He had a number of preferments
in England and Ireland, and does not
seem to have resided at Winwick. On
being made Bishop of Killaloe in 1613
he was allowed to hold Winwick 'in
commendam ' ; but resigned it in 1615 ;
Foster, Alumni Oxon. ; Diet. Nat. Biog.
John Andrews, M.A., was presented by
the Earl of Worcester in 1609 ; Act
Bks. at Ches.
60 Lanes, and Cbes. Recs. ii, 412 ; Pat.
13 Jas. I, pt. xxiii. The king presented
on the ground that the previous rector
had been appointed to a bishopric ; but
the claim was challenged, and Thomas
Bold, M.A., was presented by the Earl
of Worcester ; later still John Mere, a
prebendary of Chester, was presented.
Home, however, retained the rectory till
his death in 1626. There was a lecturer
at Winwick, Mr. Golty, who paid 1 to
a subsidy in 1622 : Misc. (Rec. Soc.
Lanes, and Ches.), i, 53, 65.
61 From this point the dates of institu-
tion have been taken from those in the
Inst. Bks. P.R.O. printed in Lanes, and
Cbes. Antiq. Notes. Herle paid his first-
fruits I July 1628 ; Lanes, and Ches. Recs.
ii, 412. This, the most distinguished of
the modern rectors of Winwick, was born
at Prideaux Herle, in Cornwall ; educated
at Exeter Coll. Oxf.; M.A. 1618 , had
various preferments, and was chaplain to
the Countess of Derby ; was a zealous
Puritan, and became president of the
Westminster Assembly, 1643. He was
not resident at Winwick during the war,
but returned in 1650, and was buried at
Winwick in 1659. See Diet. Nat. Biog.}
Fuller, Worthies ,- Foster, Alumni Oxon.
For his conduct in 1651 see Royalist
Comp. Papers (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.),
iii, 175.
62 As early as 20 June 1660 Dr. Sher-
lock petitioned for admission to the
rectory, stating that he had been pre-
sented by the true patron, whereas Mr.
Jessop had only 'an illegal grant from
the commissioners of the pretended Great
Seal, after the interruption of the late
Parliament so called ; ' Hist. MSS. Com.
Rep. vii, App. 500. Mr. Jessop conformed,
and in Oct. 1662 became vicar of Cog-
geshall in Essex ; Baines, Lanes, (ed.
Croston), iv, 359.
68 Dr. Sherlock was a kinsman of
Richard Sherlock, rector of Woodchurch,
Cheshire ; educated at Trinity Coll., Dub-
lin ; M.A. 1633 ; he was a zealous ad-
herent of the royalist party during the
Civil War, and employed by the Earl of
Derby in the Isle of Man. He published
various works, including Mercurius Chris-
tianus ; the Practical Christian, in 1673 ;
Diet. Nat. Biog. The 6th edition of the
Practical Christian, printed in 1713, con-
tains a portrait of Sherlock and a memoir
by Bishop Wilson. He did not obtain full
possession of Winwick for some time,
owing to the disputes with his predecessor.
He received a presentation or confirmation
of the rectory from the king in 1663 ;
Pat. i 5 Chas. II, pt. iv, no. 27. He con-
stantly resided on his benefice and em-
ployed three curates ; Beamont, Winwick,
6 1. His will is printed in Wills (Chet.
Soc. new ser.), i, 173. The inventory
shows a library valued at 64. The
funeral sermon, preached by his curate
Thomas Crane (see Newburgh in Lathom),
was printed ; N. and Q. (2nd Ser.), ii,
2 33-
M He was the son of John Bennet of
Abingdon, Cambridgeshire ; educated at
University Coll. Oxf. ; M.A. 1681 ; B.D.
128
1689. He became master of the college
in 1690, and died there 12 May 1692 ;
Foster, Alumni Oxon. The patron for
this turn was probably the John Bennet
of Abingdon, who was one of the mem-
bers for Newton from 1691 to 1695, and
afterwards a master in Chancery ; Pink
and Beaven, Lanes. Parl. Representation,
284.
65 A son of Sir Heneage Finch, Earl of
Nottingham. He was educated at Christ's
Coll. Camb., of which he was fellow ;
M.A. 1682. His brother Edward was for
a time rector of Wigan. Henry was in
1702 made Dean of York, but held Win-
wick also until 1725 ; Le Neve, Fasti,
iii, 127.
66 The patrons were the Earl of Angle-
sey and Francis Annesley, trustees of the
Hon. Henrietta Ashburnham, granddaugh-
ter and heir of William, ninth Earl of
Derby. Annesley was educated at Trinity
Coll. Dublin ; LL.D. 1725 ; married
Elizabeth Sutton, divorced 1725 ; and
secondly, Anne, daughter and co-heir of
Sir Robert Gayer, by whom he had a son
Arthur, ancestor of the present Viscount
Valentia ; Baines, op. cit. iv, 361.
67 The patron exercised his right ac-
cording to the wish of James, Earl of
Derby. The earl's will reads ; ' To the
same Charles Stanley (eldest son of
Thomas Stanley, of Cross Hall, deceased),
the first and next turn of presentation
and right of nomination to the rectory
of the parish church of Winwick, when-
soever vacant ; providing he instituted
the said Thomas Stanley (younger brother
of Charles) if of age and ordained ; if
not, then to appoint some other clerk
who should give security to resign the
said rectory when the said Thomas was
of age, if then ordained.'
The new rector was a younger son of
Sir Edward Stanley of Bickerstaffe, who
became Earl of Derby in 1735 ; educated
at Sidney-Sussex Coll. Camb. of which he
became a fellow ; M.A. 1717. He held
many benefices Liverpool, 172610 1740;
Winwick, 1740 to 1742, and 1764 to
1781 ; Bury, 1743 to 1778 ; Halsall,
1750 to 1757. For his character see
Beamont, op. cit. 67. He took Winwick
till his successor was ready.
68 Of Trinity Hall, Camb.; LL.B. 1744;
LL.D. 1757. Second son of Thomas
Stanley of Cross Hall, Lathom ; from
his son James descends the present owner.
This was the relation the late earl had
wished to appoint, but in 1735 he was at
Cambridge, and had not been ordained
when Dr. Annesley died ; Gregson, Frag-
ments (ed. Harland), 285.
69 He died 16 May 1781, and there is a
tablet to his memory in Winwick Church.
WEST DERBY HUNDRED
WINWICK
Instituted
7 June 1781
19 Dec. 1812
Nov. 1855
29 April 1890
Name
Presented by
Geoffrey Hornby 70
James John Hornby, M.A. 71 . .
Frank George Hopwood, M.A. " .
Oswald Henry Leycester Penrhyn,
M.A."
Earl of Derby
Cause of Vacancy
d. J. Stanley
d. G. Hornby
d. J. J. Hornby
d. F. G. Hopwood
As in the case of other benefices the earlier rectors
were probably married ' clerks,' enjoying the principal
part of the revenues of the church, and paying a
priest to minister in the parish. Two sons of Robert,
rector in 1232, are known. After the patronage had
been transferred to the Stanleys the rectory became a
' family living,' in the later sense.
In the Valor of 1535 the only ecclesiastics men-
tioned are the rector, two chantry priests at Winwick,
and a third at Newton. 74 The Clergy List of I 5 4 1 -2 75
shows three others as residing in this large parish, in-
cluding the curate, Henry Johnson, paid by Gowther
Legh, the rector's steward. The list is probably
incomplete, for at the visitation of 1548 the names
of fourteen were recorded the rector, his curate,
Hugh Bulling, who had replaced Henry Johnson ;
the three chantry priests and two others just named,
and seven more. By 1554 these had been reduced
to six the rector, his curate, Richard Smith, two of
the chantry priests still living there, but only two of
the others who had appeared six years earlier. In
1562 a further reduction is manifest. The rector,
Bishop Stanley, was excused from attendance by the
bishop ; three others appeared, one being a surviving
chantry priest, but the fifth named was absent. In
the following year the rector was again absent ; the
curate of Newton, the former chantry priest, did not
appear ; but the curates of Ashton and Culcheth
were present, and another is named. The improve-
ment was only apparent, for in 1565 the rector,
though present, non exhibuit, and only two other
names are given in the Visitation List, and they are
crossed out and two others written over them. It
seems, therefore, that the working staff had been
reduced to two Andrew Rider and Thomas Collier. 76
How the Reformation changes affected the parish
does not appear, except from these fluctuations and
reductions in the staff of clergy. The rector was not
interfered with on the accession of Elizabeth ; his
dignity and age, as well as his family connexions,
probably saved him from any compliance beyond em-
ploying a curate who would use the new services. His
successor became a Douay missionary priest, suffering
imprisonment and exile. Though the rector in 1590
was ' a preacher ' he lived in Cheshire, and his curate
was ' no preacher ' ; nor were the two chapels at
Newton and Ashton any better provided. 77 The list
drawn up about 1610 shows that though the rector,
an Irish dignitary, was 'a preacher,' the resident
curate was not ; while at the three chapels there were
* seldom curates.' 78
The Commonwealth surveyors of 1650 were not
quite satisfied with Mr. Herle, for though he was
'an orthodox, godly, preaching minister,' and one of
the most prominent Presbyterians in England, he had
not observed the day of humiliation recently appointed
by the Parliament. They recommended the creation
of four new parishes the three ancient chapelries,
and a new one at Lowton. 79 After the Restoration
two or three meetings of Nonconformists seem to
have been established. 80 In 1778 each of the four
chapelries in the parish was served by a resident curate,
paid chiefly by the rector, except Newton, paid by
Mr. Legh. 81
The great changes brought about by the coal
mining and other industries in the neighbourhood
have ecclesiastically, as in other respects, produced a
revolution ; and by the munificence of Rector J. J.
Hornby a just munificence, but rare the modern
parishes into which Winwick has been divided arc
well endowed.
There were two chantries in the parish church.
The older of them was founded in the chapel of the
Holy Trinity in 1330 by Gilbert de Haydock, for a
fit and honest chaplain, who was to pray for the
founder by name in every mass, and say the com-
mendation with Placebo and Dirige, every day except
on double feasts of nine lessons. The right of pre-
70 Eldest son of Edmund Hornby of
Poulton and Scale Hall. He is said to
have served in the Navy in his early
years; in 1774 he was sheriff of Lan-
cashire ; P.R.O. List, 74. Afterwardt
he was ordained, and having married a
sister of the Earl of Derby was presented
to Winwick. He died in 1812, and was
buried at Winwick. One of his curates,
the Rev. Giles Chippendale, who had lost
an arm in the naval service, was said to
have been with him in the same ship ;
Beamont, op. cit. 68.
His son Sir Phipps Hornby had a
distinguished career in the Navy.
71 Second son of the preceding rector.
Educated at Trinity Coll. Camb. ; M.A.
1802.
An attractive sketch of his character
is given by Mr. Beamont (op. cit. 71-80).
As rector, his most conspicuous act was
the procuring, in conjunction with the
Earl of Derby as patron, of the Winwick
Church Acts of 1841 and 1845, by
which Croft, Newton, Culcheth (New-
church), Lowton, Golborne, and Ashton
became separate parishes, each being en-
dowed with its tithes ; and two other
chapelries were formed. Thus the glebe
of Winwick and the tithes of Houghton
were all that was left of the ancient en-
dowment of the parish church. Besides
this Mr. Hornby contributed liberally to
the erection of churches in the detached
portions of his parish, and rebuilt the
chancel of his own church at a cost of
6,000. He died 14 Sept. 1855.
< a Educated at Christ Church, Oxf. ;
M.A. 1840; Foster, Alumni Oxon. In
this year he became incumbent of Knows-
ley and chaplain to the Earl of Derby ;
canon of Chester, 1866. He had mar-
ried in 1835 Lady Eleanor Mary Stanley,
daughter of Edward, Earl of Derby. He
died at Winwick n March 1890.
' 8 The new rector is a cousin of the
patron. He was educated at Balliol Coll.
Oxf. ; M.A. 1852 ; incumbent of Bicker-
staffe, 1858 ; vicar of Huyton, 1869,
and canon of Liverpool, 1880. Foster,
Alumni Oxon.
7< Valor Eccl. (Rec. Com.), v, 220.
129
7* Published by the Rec. Soc. Lanes,
and Ches. 15. It should be stated that
Henry Johnson's name does not occur in
the later lists, so that the remarks in
Baines, Lanes, (ed. Croston), iv, 355, are
baseless. The other priests probably
served Ashton and Culcheth.
7* From the Visitation lists, 1548-65,
preserved at the Ches. Dioc. Reg.
77 Gibson, Lydiate Hall, 248 (quoting
S.P. Dom. Eliz. ccxxxv, 4). In 1598
the curate did not wear the surplice, and
again in 1622 there was neither Bible
nor surplice ; Raines MSS. xxii, 182,
1 88 (from Chest. Act Bks.).
78 Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. xiv, App. iv, 13.
7* Common-wealth Ch. Sur-v. 46-50.
80 In 1669 several persons were pre-
sented to the Bishop of Chester for hav-
ing unlawful conventicles in their houses,
Oliver Taylor of Holcroft Hall being
one ; Visit. Papers, at Chester. See also
Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. xiv, App. iv, 231,
232.
81 Return by Rector Stanley in the
Dioc. Reg. Chester.
17
A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE
sentation was vested in the founder and his heirs, but
after a three months' vacancy it would lapse to the
bishop. 8 * A few of the names of the priests of this
foundation occur in the Lichfield Registers, and others
have been collected by Mr. Beamont from the Legh
deeds. 83 In 1534 the income was 66s. 8^., and it
remained the same till the confiscation in i 548.**
The second chantry, known as the Stanley chantry,
was founded by the ancestors of the Earl of Derby.
It was in the rector's chapel, and endowed with bur-
gages in Lichfield and Chester, bringing in a rent of
66s. 8^. M
A grammar school, once of some note, was founded
by Gowther Legh in the time of Henry VIII, and
refounded in 1619 by Sir Peter Legh. 86
The charities of this parish are
CHARITIES numerous and valuable. As in other
cases, some are general, others applic-
able to particular objects or townships.
For the whole parish are the ancient bread chari-
ties and other gifts to the poor, 87 the Bible charity
founded by Dean Finch, 88 and the modern educational
funds. 89
For Winwick-with-Hulme are gifts of linen, &c.,
for the poor, 90 and funds for binding appren-
tices, 91 and buying school books. 9 * At Houghton,
Middleton, and Arbury are poor's cottages. 93 Gol-
borne and Lowton together share in William Lead-
beater's benefaction. 94 The townships separately
have some minor charities, 94 including poor's cot-
88 Lich. Epis. Reg. Northburgh, iii, fol.
76*, and Beamont, Win-wick, 82. The
original endowment consisted of eight
messuages, seven tofts, 41 f acres of land,
with appurtenances in Newton in Maker-
field, with the reversion of others held
for life by Adam de Walton. Chalices,
books, vestments, and other ornaments
were provided by the founder. Should
the chaplain be unable through infir-
mity to attend to his duties he was to
receive a portion of the fruits sufficient
to support him decently. See Final Cone.
ii, 81.
88 Beamont, 83-6. The list (omitting
the first names and making one or two
other corrections) is as follows :
1334. Peter de Winwick, nominated
by the founder, Gilbert de
Haydock; Lich. Epis. Reg.
Northburgh, ii, fol. 109^.
OC. 1343. William de Rokeden.
1358. Richard de Heton, presented
by John de Haydock, on
the death of W. de Rokeden;
Lich. Epis. Reg. Northburgh,
ii, fol. 134^.
1361. Ralph de Tabley, presented
by John de Haydock, on
the resignation of Richard
de Heton ; ibid. Stretton.
iv, fol. 78*.
oc. 1370. William de Wigan, by the
same patron.
Matthew de Haydock by the
guardian of P. Legh.
oc. 1478. Matthew Fowler, by Peter
Legh.
oc. 1478. William Gam, by Sir Peter
Legh.
1505. Christopher Houghton, by the
same.
Robert Garnet ; by the same.
1532. Lawrence Pennington ; by
the same. He was cele-
brating according to his
foundation up to the sup-
pression ; Raines, Lanes.
Chant. (Chet. Soc.), i, 69.
He was then aged 48, and
lame ; ibid, i, 72 n. He
appeared at the Visitation
of 1554, but not later.
* Valor Eccl. (Rec. Com.), v, 220. In
1478 a further endowment was made by
Sir Peter Legh the patron ; Raines MSS.
xxxviii, 523.
The endowment in 1548 is given in
detail in Lanes. Chant, i, 71-4 ; it was
derived from a number of tenements in
Newton in Makerfield, the principal tenant
being James Greenforth, who paid a rent
of 14*. A chalice and two old vestments
belonged to it.
84 Valor Eccl. v, 220 ; Lanes. Chant, i,
67-9. There was no plate. The chan-
try priest in 1534 was Roger Gillibrand,
and in i 548 William Stanley ; the latter
was fifty-six years of age. He was living
in 1553, but did not appear at the Visita-
tion 0/1554. The lands of the Stanley
chantry were given by Queen Mary to the
Savoy Hospital when she refounded it, and
were leased by the Master to Christopher
Anderton ; Anderton of Lostock D. no. 8,
10, 15 ; Duchy of Lane. Misc. Bks. xxiii,
168.
M End. Char. Rep.
The Rev. Robert Wright, master of
the school from 1717 to 1735, published
tables of longitude ; Local Glean. Lanes,
and Cbes. i, 177, 226.
87 The particulars in the following
notes are taken from the Wtniuick En-
dowed Charities Report of 1901, which
includes a reprint of that of 1828.
Dr. Richard Sherlock, rector, by his
will in 1689 directed 300 to be invested
for the use of the poor ; it was employed
in buying chief rents from premises in
Croft, amounting in 1824 to i i 81. 5c/.,
distributed in bread at the parish church
and four chapcls-of-ease. In 1900 the
rent-charges amounted to 9 13*. 3</.,
others having been redeemed and the
money invested in consols. The sum
available is divided in a customary pro-
portion among the different ecclesiastical
districts, and is spent chiefly in bread for
the poor.
Adam Mather in 1818 left money for
bread for poor persons who were also com-
municants ; the latter condition is now
not insisted upon.
Rector Stanley in 1772 left 1,000 for
the poor, and 50 interest was in 1828
given in various ways doles or blankets,
&c. The capital, invested in the War-
rington and Wigan Turnpike, was in
great part lost on the termination of the
Turnpike Act ; 400 was recovered and
invested in consols, producing i i 171. 4</.
yearly ; this is distributed by the rector
and other clergy at their discretion.
88 He died in 1728 and left 200 to
the rector and churchwardens for Bibles,
prayer books, and instruction in the
Church of England catechism. In 1828
the income was 9 1 5*. gd., given usually
in books, but sometimes applied to the
Sunday schools. The income is now
6 141. 8<, and is distributed by the
rector every three years, being chiefly
devoted to the Sunday schools.
89 These are partly derived from the
endowments of the older schools, and
partly by gifts by George McCorquodale,
of about 600 in all, for prizes at the
Endowed School and St. Peter's School,
Newton.
90 In 1685 a poor's fund had accumu-
130
lated by the gifts of sundry benefactors,
and Dr. Sherlock, the rector, added 89 ;
other gifts were made in subsequent years,
and in 1828 the interest amounted to
7 2s., spent on gifts of linen, &c., to
poor cottagers. The capital has to a great
extent been lost, and the yearly income is
now i 131. 8</., distributed in gifts of
calico.
91 Thomas March and Henry Low about
1720 left money for binding apprentices,
but by 1828 half the original capital, 52,
had been lost, and the interest was added
to the linen charity ; this erroneous use
continued down to 1900.
98 John Bankes, sometime schoolmaster
at Winwick (died 1775), left a small sum
for books for the children attending the
school in Winwick churchyard. This in
1828 had been wrongly united to the linen
charity, and so continued in 1900.
93 The poor's money appears to have
been invested in two cottages, but the
rents, 11, were applied to the poor rate
in 1828. A rent of izs. from Delph
House in Middleton had then ceased. In
1840 the rent had increased to 14, but
3 was and is payable to the highway
authority : the rest is given by the rector
of Winwick in clothing.
94 The testator gave an estate in Low-
ton and Golborne to the poor, and by his
will in 1685 gave 40 to erect at his
house at Lowton two good bays of build- j
ing, and 10 more to raise up the bay
called ' the shop ' the height of the afore- '
said bays, &c. ; a large stone was to be laid
upon his burial place inscribed so that
people might learn of his benefaction. In
1828 the rents amounted to 55, equally
distributed in linen or flannel for the poor
of the two townships. Various changes
have since occurred ; part of the land has
been sold to the Wigan Junction Railway,
1877; another part has been let on
a building lease of 999 years ; and the
coal under another has been mined. The
rental is now 119 17*. 6d., of which
23 is derived from the founder's house
in Church Lane, Lowton, and is distri-
buted by the trustees appointed under a
scheme made in 1892.
95 For Golborne John Mather left a
charge of los. for the poor, to be added to
Leadbeater's Charity; and Hannah Hooper
left zo, the interest, i, being paid in
1828. These have been added to the
Golborne share of the Leadbeater Charity
under the scheme of 1 8 92, and the amount
is applied in subscriptions to dispensaries,
nurses, clothes, &c., or temporary relief in
money.
Miss Frances Moon, by her will in
1873 bequeathed 1,000 for the sick and
aged poor ; but only about 420 was
realized.
WEST DERBY HUNDRED
tages at Lowton. 96 Newton had an ancient poor's
stock, spent in providing linen, and other benefac-
tions. 97 A legacy by James Berry in 1836 has
failed. 98
For the township of Culcheth as a whole, most of
the ancient charities have been united ; " the Blue
Boy Charity continues. 100 For Newchurch with Ken-
WINWICK
yon are funds for the poor, &c. ; m at Risley the
almshouse has failed, 102 but John Ashton's Charity,
founded in 1831, produces 31 los. a year, distri-
buted in money doles. 103
At Southworth-with-Croft a calico dole is main-
tained. 104 Ashton in Makerfield has charities for
linen, woollen, apprenticing boys, &c. 10i At Hay-
96 For Lowton Richard France left 5
to the poor, and in 1828 51. was paid as
interest by the overseer of Lowton.
Nicholas Turner, by his will of 1712,
charged the Little Meadow in Golborne
with 2cu. for linen for the poor ; this also
was still paid in 1828 ; and like the pre-
vious sum was added to the Lowton half
of Leadbeater's Charity. So also was
2 IOJ. derived from tenements purchased
with a bequest of Elizabeth Byrom,
widow, in 1738. The overseers in 1828
had ,22 IQS. derived from the rents of
two cottages, which sum had been devoted
to the poor, but was then applied to the
debt incurred in rebuilding the cottages.
In 190x2 these charities had been united
with the Lowton share of the Leadbeater
Charity, and were administered under the
scheme of 1892, the objects permissible
being almost the same as those in Gol-
borne. The payment of 51. out of the
rates had been disallowed by the auditor
in 1846, and thus France's Charity has
lapsed.
9 ' James Low in 1 6 34 and others sub-
sequently contributed various sums, which
together amounted to 273 by 1733 ;
sixty years later the total was 288, laid
out upon the workhouse, and the interest
was spent on linen for the poor. In 1825,
interest having fallen into arrear, it was
agreed that the capital should be considered
,400, and in 1827 20 was paid as in-
terest. Robert Bankes in 1747 left 40
for the poor, and the interest in 1828 was
added to the foregoing charity. Bro-
therton left 50 to found a bread charity ;
and Mrs. Legh left ,100, which with 50
(probably the last-mentioned sum) was in
1 800 in the hands of Thomas Claughton,
trustee of Thomas Legh of Lyme during
minority, by whose bankruptcy the capital
was endangered. A sum of $ had been
paid out of the estate of William Brown
Brotherton to the eldest poor widow in
Newton ; the estate having been sold
about 1821 to Thomas Legh, the payment
has been since discontinued.
The workhouse was sold in 1856, when
,288 was invested in consols, this being
held to be all that was legally chargeable.
The income, 8 51. 8<y., is distributed in
tickets for clothing. The Bankes Charity
was still continued in 1900 by Mrs. Bankes
of Winstanley Hall, and distributed with
the foregoing. The other charities had
been lost, no dividend apparently having
been paid out of Thomas Claughton's
estate.
98 This was a bequest of 50 for the
benefit of poor communicants at Newton
Chapel. The executors paid interest for
some time, but the residuary legatee, on
coming of age, refused to pay.
99 The amalgamation took place under
a scheme of the Charity Commissioners
in 1898. There were six different foun-
dations :
i. Twiss Green School, founded by John
Guest of Abram, Adam Shaw and Christo-
pher Bordman assisting. A lease of 1808
stated that the purpose of the school was
instruction in the English language and
in the precepts of the Christian religion.
ii. Thomas Shaw gave 80 to the poor.
iii. John Risley gave ,60 to the same.
iv. William Smith in 1626 left lands in
Culcheth called Gregory's Land to a Ralph
Bate, the interest on ,60 being payable
to the poor. In 1828 the fields were
called Shnckshots.
v. Ambrose Yates in 1722 left his
tenements at Twiss Green to his cousins
Henry and James Bate for the benefit of
the poor. The property, called Quakers,
was in 1828 in the possession of Thomas
Bate of Macclesfield as heir-at-law of
Henry Bate.
vi. Mrs. Anne Clough left ,40 for the
poor, and Thomas Ellames Withington of
Culcheth Hall gave ^50 consols to the
official trustees.
The yearly payment of 3 for Smith's
Charity in 1861 was redeemed by John
Clare, owner of the land, who paid 78
to the official trustee ; and the real estate
of the Yates Charity was sold